There will be many former Russians at the World Wrestling Championships. Who to watch besides our own?
Batraz Tomaev September 15, 2023, 14:30 Moscow time
More than a dozen of our former compatriots participated in the tournament. There are also those who have already won medals.
If in some sports the massive change of citizenship of Russian athletes began in the last year and a half, in wrestling this is a common occurrence. All for the team’s maximum competition. And until 2022, many fighters were forced to move to other countries to develop their potential there. Most often these were the countries of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. And who would reject a talent trained in the Russian wrestling school and who aspires to great victories?
Taking into account that the United World Wrestling allowed the best athletes from Russia to participate in the 2023 World Championships, albeit in a neutral state, there will be especially many people from our country in Belgrade. For now, let’s deal with those who will still have a flag, but not white, but from other countries.
How were Russians allowed to participate in the World Cup?
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“Russian” category
The former Russians will look especially bright in the weight category up to 74 kg.
One of the main contenders for World Championship medals in this category is Taimuraz Salkazanov, representative of Slovakia. The athlete was born in North Ossetia, but has been representing the European country for more than five years. Another Ossetian, coach Rodion Kertanti, invited him.
Now Salkazanov competes in the weight category up to 74 kg. But he won his first medal at the World Championships (bronze in 2019) in the weight category up to 79 kg.
After moving to another weight, the Slovak won silver at the 2021 World Championships, which took place in Oslo. Then the ex-Russian could not defeat the American Kyle Dake. History repeated itself a year later. In 2022, in Belgrade, Salkazanov and Dake also faced each other in the final. The victory went to the representative of the United States and Salkazanov again received the silver.
Taimuraz Salkazanov
Photo: ADAM NURKIEWICZ/Getty Images
But after winning the World Youth Championship (U23), Taimuraz’s name was included in the museum of sporting glory of the country, as the first world champion in wrestling in the history of sport of independent Slovakia.
It is also worth keeping an eye on the owner of the Serbian mat, the 2014 world champion Hetik Tsabolov, who this season won gold in the up to 79 kg category at the European Championships. Although he is not an Olympic weight, the athlete showed everyone that he is in excellent shape.
Murad Kuramagomedov (Hungary), Yakub Shikhdzhamalov (Romania) and Magomed Evloev (Tajikistan) will also try to join the fight for medals.
Who will challenge Sadulayev?
In the weight category up to 97 kg there will also be someone to watch. Russian wrestling fans will be able to applaud not only the return of Abdulrashid Sadulayev to the world stage, but also two more former compatriots.
Batyrbek Tsakulov has represented Slovakia for a year. And in the 2022 World Cup it was he who reached the final against the American Kyle Snyder. Unfortunately, I lost. And then Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov was one line lower in the protocol. With Sadulayev’s return, the stakes are raised.
At the 2021 World Cup, Sadulaev was out of competition:
The Russian tank again passed over the American one. A great victory for our fighter in the 2021 World Cup
World champion defends title
In the weight category up to 86 kg, where the Russian Arslan Bagaev will perform, the Slovak Boris Makoev will also compete for a medal. I still would! This athlete won a bronze medal at the World Championships a year ago in Belgrade.
In the weight category up to 65 kg, together with the Russian Shamil Mamedov, the Hungarian representative Ismail Musukaev will compete for the medals. The athlete, originally from Kabardino-Balkaria, represents another country for the fourth year. And during this time he managed to win two bronze medals at the world championships.
In the weight category up to 57 kg at the 2022 World Cup, the representative of Albania of Dagestan origin, Zelimkhan Abakarov, stood out. He then left American Thomas Gilman without a victory. And he became the first world wrestling champion in Albanian history. He now wants to defend this title.
Zelimkhan Abakarov
Photo: Markus Gilliar/TASS
Also with hopes of medals they will appear on the Serbian carpet:
Ayub Mussaev (Belgium, up to 65 kg); Ramazan Ramazanov (Bulgaria, up to 70 kg); Akhsarbek Gulaev (Slovakia, up to 79 kg); Taimuraz Friev (Spain, up to 86 kg); Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan, up to 86 kg). up to 92 kg); Ermak Kardanov (Slovakia, up to 92 kg); Akhmed Bataev (Bulgaria, up to 97 kg); Vladislav Baytsaev (Hungary, up to 97 kg); Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov (Serbia, up to 125 kg).
