The defeat of Abdulrashid Sadulaev was a shock for wrestling fans in our country. Before the fans had time to rejoice at the fantastic salvation of the two-time Olympic champion in the quarter-finals, they were overcome by bitter disappointment. After which Sadulaev will have to compete on Tuesday for both a medal and a ticket to the Paris Games.
In the semi-finals, Abdulrashid faced Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain. Whom the Russian fighter can in many ways call his student. Sadulayev and Tazhudinov have known each other well for a long time. Before the semi-final, photographs appeared on various online resources showing a more experienced fighter hugging a young colleague.
There is no mystery in this. Tazhudinov is originally from Dagestan and until the fall of 2022 he represented our country. In addition, Akhmed can well be called Sadulayev’s student. The sports school from which Abdulrashid’s rival graduated is named after him. And in the semifinals of the long-awaited World Championship of Russian wrestlers, the student and the teacher met.
But Abdulrashid was clearly exhausted by the grueling fight with the Iranian representative in the previous stage. In addition, as it became known a little later, Sadulayev was worried about discomfort in his neck. So the Russian fighter in this fight did not look like himself. His opponent received the first point due to his opponent’s passive actions. And, sensing that something was clearly wrong with Abdulrashid, he began to develop the advantage of him.
International Wrestling Federation
As a result, Sadulaev was unable to complete the fight and refused to continue the fight due to a neck injury. In addition, the Russian fighter did not withdraw from the tournament and tomorrow he will enter the dispute for the bronze prize. He also continues to claim Abdulrashid’s main rival, Rio de Janeiro Olympic champion American Kyle Snyder, who also lost to Tazhudinov.
We can only regret that, perhaps, the main star of the Russian team in this World Championship, this time he did not manage to reach the top. An unfortunate injury left Sadulaev without his sixth world championship gold. There is still no World Championship bronze in his collection. And an Olympic ticket is an important incentive not to give up. So on Tuesday Russian wrestling fans simply need to support Abdulrashid. If our country’s athletes go to the main competition of the fourth anniversary, Sadulayev will be one of the main Russian hopes to win gold.
Fantastic rescue of Sadulayev. The Russian fighter achieved victory with 5 seconds left in the fight.
