Yüksel Sarıçiçek reaches World Wrestling Championship final

Turkish wrestler Yüksel Sarıçiçek has advanced to the Greco-Roman 82 kg final at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Competing in the senior category for the first time, Sarıçiçek secured his place in the final by defeating Kyrgyz wrestler Akzhol Makhmudov with a 6-0 score in the semifinals. His path to the final included a 7-5 victory over China’s Halishan Bahejiang and a 10-2 technical superiority win against Qatar’s Shahin Eidimohammad Badaghimofrad.

Sarıçiçek is scheduled to face the defending world champion, Iran’s Gholamreza Javad Farokhisenjani, for the gold medal. Following his semifinal victory, Sarıçiçek credited his conditioning to high-altitude training in Erzurum.

In the same tournament, veteran Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp is competing in the 130 kg Greco-Roman category, aiming for his sixth world title. Meanwhile, American wrestler Max Nowry has entered the Greco-Roman 55 kg repechage after a 1-1 record in preliminary rounds.