2026 U20 World Championships Women's Wrestling Preview

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (August 12) -- Japan won five gold medals in Women's Wrestling at last year's U20 World Wrestling Championships, beating India to claim the team title.

A similar battle is expected at this year's edition in Bratislava, which will run from August 16 to 23 and stream live on UWW+.

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China, which finished third last year, and Russia will also look to challenge the top two, while the United States will hope to return to the top three in the team standings.

50kg: The battle at 50kg could come down to Yu ZHANG (CHN) and Yuu KATSUME (JPN). The reigning senior world silver medalist, Zhang won the U20 world title in 2024 with a thrilling final victory over Haruna MORIKAWA (JPN). She also won silver at the 2025 Asian Championships.

Katsume, the 2024 U17 world champion, is one of Japan's most promising talents in the lower weight classes. She won the U17 title by outscoring her opponents 44-2.

Asian and European U20 continental champions PARVEEN (IND) and Margarita IARYGINA (RUS) are also entered and will hope to upset the favored Zhang and Katsume.

MUSKAN (IND) is the U20 Asian champion at 53kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

53kg: U20 Asian champion MUSKAN (IND) finished fifth at the 2024 U20 Worlds but has since gained valuable senior-level experience, winning medals at the Zagreb and Tirana Ranking Series as well as gold at the U23 Asian Championships. The former U17 world champion will be among the favorites in Bratislava.

Senior Asian silver medalist Yuxuan LI (CHN) joins Muskan as another contender for gold. Former U17 world champion Kaura COLES (CAN) is also in the mix as she bids to bring another world title to Canada. Japan will be represented by Mei KOIWA (JPN), who has a solid domestic record but will make her international debut in Bratislava.

Everest LEYDECKER (USA) is the defending champion at 55kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

55kg: Everest LEYDECKER (USA) returns in search of her second consecutive U20 world title and looks like the firm favorite to do so. An extremely composed wrestler, Leydecker combines a solid defensive game with powerful attacks, that helped her blank three of her four opponents last year.

Since then, she has won gold at the Zagreb Open on her senior debut and added another gold medal at the U20 Pan-American Championships.

U20 Asian silver medalist Meilin ZHOU (CHN) could challenge Leydecker, along with Asian bronze medalist Hansika LAMBA (IND). Valeryia MIKITSICH (BLR), former U17 world silver medalist Nana KOZUKA (JPN), and U20 European champion Olesia MALAKHOVA (RUS) will also hope to finish on the podium.

Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE), who won bronze medal at 59kg last year, will wrestle at 57kg in Bratislava. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

57kg: U20 European silver medalist at 59kg Hiunai HURBANOVA (AZE) is moving down to 57kg with the aim of winning a world title. This year, she won U23 European silver and senior European bronze at 59kg.

However, she will face strong competition on her road to gold. Konami ONO (JPN), a U17 world silver medalist, is returning to action after knee surgery and is the favorite to win gold.

U20 Asian champion Xinyu WANG (CHN) will fancy her chances against both Hurbanova and Ono. U20 European champions and returning bronze medalists Dolzhon TSYNGUEVA (RUS) and Anna STRATAN (KAZ), along with U20 European silver medalist Diana KOTVYTSKA (UKR), could also pose serious challenges.

Amelia SAMUELSSON (SWE) is the returning silver medalist at 59kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

59kg: After winning silver last year, U20 European champion Amelia SAMUELSSON (SWE) will have a strong chance to claim Sweden's first U20 world title in five years. Samuelsson's campaign of four wins in Skopje was one-sided.

She will have to contend with U20 Asian champion Jiayi HUANG (CHN), who will compete at her first World Championships. Also looking to challenge Samuelsson are 62kg U20 European champion Ruzanna MAMMADOVA (AZE), 2025 U20 Asian champion Sae NOGUCHI (JPN), and 2024 U20 world bronze medalist KOMAL (IND).

62kg: It is difficult to bet against two-time 59kg U20 world champion Sakura ONISHI (JPN), now at 62kg. Onishi has been unstoppable since losing in the final of the U17 World Championships in 2022. In 2025, she became world and Asian champion at 59kg and nearly made Japan's senior team again at 62kg but lost narrowly to Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) at the Meiji Cup.

However, there will be a strong battle for the other medals. U20 Asian champion Yifan ZHU (CHN), former U17 world champion SAVITA (IND), U20 European champion Ekaterina RADYSHEVA (RUS), and recently crowned U17 world champion Ozdenur OZMEZ (TUR) will all be in contention.

U20 European champion Margarita SALNAZARIAN (RUS) is the returning silver medalist at 65kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Jake Kirkman)

65kg: Returning silver medalist and U20 European champion Margarita SALNAZARIAN (RUS) will aim to win the gold medal that has eluded her at the last two U20 World Championships. She won bronze at the 2024 edition before taking silver last year.

U20 Asian champion Mukhayyo NARZILLOEVA (UZB), who has steadily improved throughout her career, will look to stop Salnazarian, along with former U17 world silver medalist YASHITA (IND) and U20 Asian silver medalist Zhangyl BEKEN (KAZ).

Saga SVENSSON (SWE), the U20 European silver medalist, will also aim to put Sweden on the podium.

68kg: Three-time U17 world champion Taina FERNANDEZ (USA) will make her U20 debut and look to maintain her international unbeaten record. However, the U20 level will offer tougher challenges, and Fernandez will need to be wary of her competition.

U20 Asian champion Chenling SONG (CHN) and U20 European champion Elif KURT (TUR) will be among those hoping to upset Fernandez. Mansi LATHER (IND), a former U17 world champion with considerable senior-level experience, will also be a threat.

Returning silver medalist Shirin TAKEMOTO (JPN) and U20 European silver medalist Oleksandra RYBAK (UKR) are also in the mix, while Uldana TILEUKHAN (KAZ) and former U17 world silver medalist Mukhayyo RAKHIMJONOVA (UZB) could emerge as dark horses.

Wenjin QIU (CHN), a former U17 world champion, is the U20 Asian champion at 72kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

72kg: Wenjin QIU (CHN) suffered a shock loss at last year's U20 World Championships, but the U20 Asian champion will be the favorite to go all the way this year. A former U17 world champion, Qiu prefers to finish bouts by pinning her opponents rather than allowing them to go the distance.

She will be joined by Chisato YOSHIDA (JPN), a silver medalist at the 2025 U20 Asian Championships who also won the U17 world title in 2024.

History-making Greta TVERSKYTE (LTU), Lithuania's first U20 European champion, will aim to reach the podium in Bratislava, along with Liliana KAZMINA (RUS) and U20 Pan-American champion Gretchen DONALLY (USA).

76kg: Returning 72kg champion KAJAL (IND) has a strong chance to win her second title, this time at 76kg. She is riding a four-gold-medal winning streak that began at the U23 Asian Championships, followed by titles at the Ulaanbaatar Open, U20 Asian Championships and Budapest Ranking Series.

However, Kajal also finished seventh at the Tirana Ranking Series and the Asian Championships. In Tirana, she suffered a loss to Elmira YASIN (TUR), who will also compete at 76kg in Bratislava.

The 2023 U17 world champion Piper FOWLER (USA) returns to competition after 2024 and will challenge Kajal. Diana TITOVA (RUS), a U20 European silver medalist, has also defeated Kajal and will seek her first career gold.