2008 Olympic Games preview at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in Greco-Roman wrestling
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by Gary Abbott
The reigning World champion is Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia, who placed second in the 2004 Olympic Games. Nozadze was also fifth at the 2006 World Championships. Nozadze was third in this year's European Championships.
He is the only World champion from this Olympic four-year cycle who will be competing in Beijing. 2006 World champion Heiki Nabi of Estonia did not qualify for the Olympics, and the 2005 World champion and two-time Olympic champion Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey is retired and now serving in the Turkish Parliament.
Placing second to Nozadze in 2007 was Mindaugas Ezerskis of Lithuania. Claiming bronze medals last year were Marek Svec of the Czech Republic and Ghasem Rezaei of Iran. Svec was a World silver medalist in 1998 and 2006. Rezaei won the Asian Championships in 2008.
2004 Olympic champion Karam Gaber of Egypt dazzled the audience with his performance at the Athens Olympics, but has not won a World medal since then. Gaber qualified for the Olympics by winning one of the Olympic Qualification Tournaments this spring. Gaber won World silver medals in 2002 and 2003.
Qualifying for the Olympic Games by placing in the top eight at the World Championships in 2007 were Kenzo Kato of Japan, Diagoro Timoncini of Italy), Elis Guri of Albania and Serkan Ozden of Turkey.
The 2008 European champion was Aslanbek Khushtov of Russia. The last Russian to win a medal at this weight class was Vasilliy Tepoulkhov, who captured a bronze at the 2005 World meet. Other past World medalists who have qualified their nation for the Olympics include 2006 World bronze medalist Kaloyan Dinchev of Bulgaria and 2005 World silver medalist Lajos Virag of Hungary.
The United States will be represented by a relative newcomer, Adam Wheeler, who defeated 2005 World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Wheeler's top international efforts were silver medals at the 2008 World Cup and the 2006 Pan American Championships.
Qualified nations at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Algeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia. Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2007 World Championship results
96 kg/211.5 lbs.- Gold - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); Silver - Mindaugas Ezerskis (Lithuania); Bronze - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); Bronze - Ghasem Rezaei (Iran); 5th - Kenzo Kato (Japan); 5th - Diagoro Timoncini (Italy); 7th - Elis Guri (Albania); 8th - Serkan Ozden (Turkey); 9th - Aset Membetov (Kazakhstan); 10th - Rami Hietaniemi (Finland)
2006 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Heiki Nabi (Estonia); Silver - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); Bronze - Kaloyan Dinchev (Bulgaria); Bronze - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); 5th - Andrei Batura (Belarus); 5th - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); 7th - Jimmy Lidberg (Sweden); 8th - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 9th - Theodoros Tounoysidis (Greece); 10th - Young Han-Tae (Korea)
2005 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. -Gold - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); Silver - Lajos Virag (Hungary); Bronze - Vasilliy Tepoulkhov (Russia); Bronze - Justin Ruiz (USA); 5th - Mirko Englich (Germany); 5th - Margulan Assembekov (Kazakhstan); 7th - Mikhaylo Nikolaev (Ukraine); 8th - Vladislav Metodiev (Bulgaria); 9th - Shata Narmaniya (Belarus); 10th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic)
2004 Olympic Games results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt); Silver -Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); Bronze -Mehmet Ozal (Turkey); 4th - Ernesto Pena (Cuba); 5th - Genadi Chhaidze (Kyrgyzstan); 6th - Gogi Koguachvili (Russia); 7th - Georgios Koutsioumpas (Greece); 8th - Kaloyan Dinchev (Bulgaria); 9h - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 10th - Marek Sitnik (Poland)
2003 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Martin Lidberg (Sweden) dec. Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt), 3-0; Bronze - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia) dec. Davyd Saldadze (Ukraine), 6-0; 5th - Aleksey Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 6th - Alexander Bezrutchkin (Russia); 7th - Gennadiy Chhaidze (Kyrgyzstan); 8th - Kostas Thanos (Greece); 9th - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 10th - Mirko English (Germany)
2002 World Championships results
96 kg/211.75 lbs. - Gold - Mekhmet Oezal (Turkey) dec. Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt), 15-11; Bronze - Ali Mollov (Bulgaria) dec. Ernesto Pena (Cuba), 4-0; 5th -Roman Meduna (Slovakia); 6th -Aleksei Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 7th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); 8th - Mirko Englich (Germany); 9th - Sasa Dukai (Yugoslavia); 10th - Hao Liu (China)
2001 World Championships results
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Gold - Alexandre Bezroutchkine (Russia) dec. Ernesto Pena (Cuba), 7-0; Bronze - Mehmet Ozal (Turkey) dec. Petru Sudureak (Romania), 7-5; 5th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); 6th - Aleksey Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 7th - Marek Sitnik (Poland); 8th - Ehssan Karimfar (Iran); 9th - Roman Meduna (Slovakia); 10th - Sergey Matviyenko (Kazakhstan)
He is the only World champion from this Olympic four-year cycle who will be competing in Beijing. 2006 World champion Heiki Nabi of Estonia did not qualify for the Olympics, and the 2005 World champion and two-time Olympic champion Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey is retired and now serving in the Turkish Parliament.
Placing second to Nozadze in 2007 was Mindaugas Ezerskis of Lithuania. Claiming bronze medals last year were Marek Svec of the Czech Republic and Ghasem Rezaei of Iran. Svec was a World silver medalist in 1998 and 2006. Rezaei won the Asian Championships in 2008.
2004 Olympic champion Karam Gaber of Egypt dazzled the audience with his performance at the Athens Olympics, but has not won a World medal since then. Gaber qualified for the Olympics by winning one of the Olympic Qualification Tournaments this spring. Gaber won World silver medals in 2002 and 2003.
Qualifying for the Olympic Games by placing in the top eight at the World Championships in 2007 were Kenzo Kato of Japan, Diagoro Timoncini of Italy), Elis Guri of Albania and Serkan Ozden of Turkey.
The 2008 European champion was Aslanbek Khushtov of Russia. The last Russian to win a medal at this weight class was Vasilliy Tepoulkhov, who captured a bronze at the 2005 World meet. Other past World medalists who have qualified their nation for the Olympics include 2006 World bronze medalist Kaloyan Dinchev of Bulgaria and 2005 World silver medalist Lajos Virag of Hungary.
The United States will be represented by a relative newcomer, Adam Wheeler, who defeated 2005 World bronze medalist Justin Ruiz in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Wheeler's top international efforts were silver medals at the 2008 World Cup and the 2006 Pan American Championships.
Qualified nations at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Algeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia. Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2007 World Championship results
96 kg/211.5 lbs.- Gold - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); Silver - Mindaugas Ezerskis (Lithuania); Bronze - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); Bronze - Ghasem Rezaei (Iran); 5th - Kenzo Kato (Japan); 5th - Diagoro Timoncini (Italy); 7th - Elis Guri (Albania); 8th - Serkan Ozden (Turkey); 9th - Aset Membetov (Kazakhstan); 10th - Rami Hietaniemi (Finland)
2006 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Heiki Nabi (Estonia); Silver - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); Bronze - Kaloyan Dinchev (Bulgaria); Bronze - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); 5th - Andrei Batura (Belarus); 5th - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); 7th - Jimmy Lidberg (Sweden); 8th - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 9th - Theodoros Tounoysidis (Greece); 10th - Young Han-Tae (Korea)
2005 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. -Gold - Hamza Yerlikaya (Turkey); Silver - Lajos Virag (Hungary); Bronze - Vasilliy Tepoulkhov (Russia); Bronze - Justin Ruiz (USA); 5th - Mirko Englich (Germany); 5th - Margulan Assembekov (Kazakhstan); 7th - Mikhaylo Nikolaev (Ukraine); 8th - Vladislav Metodiev (Bulgaria); 9th - Shata Narmaniya (Belarus); 10th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic)
2004 Olympic Games results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt); Silver -Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia); Bronze -Mehmet Ozal (Turkey); 4th - Ernesto Pena (Cuba); 5th - Genadi Chhaidze (Kyrgyzstan); 6th - Gogi Koguachvili (Russia); 7th - Georgios Koutsioumpas (Greece); 8th - Kaloyan Dinchev (Bulgaria); 9h - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 10th - Marek Sitnik (Poland)
2003 World Championships results
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Gold - Martin Lidberg (Sweden) dec. Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt), 3-0; Bronze - Ramaz Nozadze (Georgia) dec. Davyd Saldadze (Ukraine), 6-0; 5th - Aleksey Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 6th - Alexander Bezrutchkin (Russia); 7th - Gennadiy Chhaidze (Kyrgyzstan); 8th - Kostas Thanos (Greece); 9th - Lajos Virag (Hungary); 10th - Mirko English (Germany)
2002 World Championships results
96 kg/211.75 lbs. - Gold - Mekhmet Oezal (Turkey) dec. Karam Ibrahim Gaber (Egypt), 15-11; Bronze - Ali Mollov (Bulgaria) dec. Ernesto Pena (Cuba), 4-0; 5th -Roman Meduna (Slovakia); 6th -Aleksei Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 7th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); 8th - Mirko Englich (Germany); 9th - Sasa Dukai (Yugoslavia); 10th - Hao Liu (China)
2001 World Championships results
97 kg/213.75 lbs. - Gold - Alexandre Bezroutchkine (Russia) dec. Ernesto Pena (Cuba), 7-0; Bronze - Mehmet Ozal (Turkey) dec. Petru Sudureak (Romania), 7-5; 5th - Marek Svec (Czech Republic); 6th - Aleksey Cheglakov (Uzbekistan); 7th - Marek Sitnik (Poland); 8th - Ehssan Karimfar (Iran); 9th - Roman Meduna (Slovakia); 10th - Sergey Matviyenko (Kazakhstan)
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