Nia BowersMajor athletic victories become part of history and stay in people’s memories for years. In combat sports, a matter of seconds can decide which opponent hits the mat first. And behind those intense moments stand years of hard training, because in elite sport you cannot rely on luck alone.
The skill of athletes who earn those victories is tested most strictly at national championships. Each match becomes a fight for status and future opportunities. Sometimes that single second can determine whether an athlete moves to the next level in their career.
Andrian Hutsan, a Candidate Master of Sports in grappling and pankration and a competitor in freestyle wrestling, has tested his abilities many times at national championships in Ukraine. He has followed a long path and achieved a series of victories across different competitions. In this article, he shares how such consistent results are built.
Competing in a High-Density Talent Environment
Ukrainian athletes in combat sports have proven themselves to be strong competitors on the world stage. In 2023, at the World Combat Games, they won 6 out of 10 possible gold medals in pankration. At the 2024 World Grappling Championships in Kazakhstan, they took 7 medals and finished second in the team standings. In 2025, Ukraine outperformed other countries, earning 135 points in the U17 men’s title. And these are only a few examples.
Andrian Hutsan believes the key lies in the national wrestling training system:
“When I first entered the sport, the training was strict. It built character. I compete in freestyle wrestling, grappling, and pankration, and I’ve been living in a disciplined training routine for years. I can say for sure that without discipline, no athlete can even win at the local level. We were taught to work not only with our bodies but also with our minds to analyze opponents and choose the right techniques at the right moment.”
According to Andrian, reaching the national level in Ukraine is not something every athlete can achieve. It is a highly competitive environment where different schools and styles come together. For athletes who compete in multiple disciplines, it also requires flexibility and constant adaptation to different conditions. Taken together, all of this leads to consistently high results.
Formal Recognition: Sports Classification and National Status
Andrian Hutsan has competed many times in national Ukrainian championships and tournaments in freestyle wrestling, grappling, and pankration. He earned first-place finishes at events such as the All-Ukrainian Wrestling Tournament in honor of Elbrus Tedeev (Kyiv), the Odesa Region Freestyle Wrestling Championship (Odesa), the Ukrainian Grappling Championship (Yuzhne), and the Open Ukrainian Championship in Grappling and Pankration (Odesa). At many other events, Andrian placed on the podium and received various awards.
According to Hutsan, national competitions also have another important role: they ignite a fire in young, talented athletes and motivate them to aim higher. This belief comes from his experience across multiple disciplines and from his work as a referee — he holds a 1st-category certificate in freestyle wrestling and a 2nd-category referee qualification. He officiated at the All-Ukrainian Children’s and Juniors’ Tournament in Poltava and was inspired to see how determined young athletes were to prove themselves. In those moments, Andrian recalls his own journey from a young boy in the gym to earning the title of Candidate Master of Sports in both grappling and pankration:
“Earning this title was not easy. You work toward it for years, then compete in front of a panel of judges and try to present yourself as a new professional before the federation. All results are strictly recorded and entered into official protocols. Every athlete understands exactly what I’m talking about. But at the moment when you are finally awarded the title of Candidate Master of Sports, you breathe out with relief and joy. Above all, you prove to yourself that you are worthy of recognition and that the entire journey was not in vain.”
Cross-Discipline Stability: Performance Across Wrestling, Grappling, and Pankration
Andrian not only competed in championships dedicated to individual combat sports but also took part in mixed-format events such as the Open Grappling and Pankration Cup, the Open Ukrainian Championship in Grappling and Pankration, and international events such as the Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship among Universities and the World Beach Wrestling Championships.
Step by step, he progressed from small local competitions to regional tournaments, then successfully broke through to the national level, and eventually reached international championships.
“I like that I can compete in different events, face talented opponents from other cities and countries, and gain valuable experience,” Andrian shares. “Of course, there are challenges when you have to adapt your training and styles, but over time, I got used to it and turned it into an advantage. A multi-disciplinary approach demands more from an athlete, but the reward is recognition among other skilled competitors and experts in combat sports.”
Competitive Presence as National-Level Distinction
Every victory, Andrian Hutsan concludes, is a small victory for the country that nurtured a young athlete. Through a multi-dimensional approach to training and participation in various national competitions, athletes learn to adapt to tougher championship conditions and aim higher, because with each new win, the bar rises.
According to Andrian, earning national recognition first means proving to yourself that the entire journey was not in vain. It also means recognizing that the country that trains and develops its athletes is doing meaningful work in raising talented fighters who can достойно represent it on the international stage.