#FreestyleFriday: Tervel Dlagnev's World and Olympic medal hit list

Dlagnev after beating Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan at the 2011 World Championships. Photo by Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

Just in case you haven’t gotten enough Tervel Dlagnev content since the IOC announced Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan had tested positive for oral turinabol and would be stripped of his 2012 Olympic gold medal last Wednesday, and UWW announced that Dlagnev would indeed be receiving his Olympic bronze medal last Friday, here’s a little more for you.

Over his long and lustrous international career, Dlagnev ran into a lot of the world’s best wrestlers and beat most of them. Not including forfeits, he beat 19 Senior World/Olympic medalists. Below is a list of all those medalists that Dlagnev beat in his career along with where he beat them and their medal counts below.

• Artur Taymazov (Uzbekistan), at 2011 World Championships
o Olympic gold medalist (2004)
o Olympic silver medalist (2000)
o Two-time World champion (2003, 2006)
o Two-time World silver medalist (2001, 2010)
o World bronze medalist (2007)
• Khadshimourad Gatsalov (RUSSIA), at 2013 Ziolowski Memorial International and 2014 Grapple at the Garden
o Olympic gold medalist (2004)
o Five-time World champion (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013)
o World silver medalist (2010)
o World bronze medalist (2014)
• Taha Akgul (TURKEY), at 2012 Ziolowski Memorial International
o Olympic gold medalist (2016)
o Two-time World champion (2014, 2015)
o World silver medalist (2017)
o World bronze medalist (2013)
• Komeil Ghasemi (IRAN), at 2013 World Championships
o Olympic gold medalist (2012)
o Olympic silver medalist (2016)
o World silver medalist (2014)
• Alexis Rodriguez Valera (CUBA/AZERBAIJAN), at 2014 Golden Grand Prix
o Olympic bronze medalist (2000)
o World champion (1998)
o Four-time World silver medalist (1997, 2002, 2005, 2007)
o World bronze medalist (2001)
• Marid Mutalimov (KAZAKHSTAN), at 2011 World Championships
o Olympic bronze medalist (2008)
• Disney Rodriguez (CUBA), at 2011 Pan American Games and 2012 Cerro Pelado International
o Olympic bronze medalist (2008)
• Aleksei Shemarov (BELARUS), at 2009 World Championships, 2010 Alexander Medved International, 2012 Olympics, and 2014 World Championships
o World Champion (2011)
• Fardin Masoumi (IRAN), at 2010 World Cup
o World silver medalist (2009)
o World bronze medalist (2006)
• Nick Gwiazdowski (UNITED STATES), at 2015 U.S. Open
o Two-time World bronze medalist (2017, 2018)
• Jamaladdin Magomedov (AZERBAIJAN), at 2016 Olympics
o World silver medalist (2015)
o World bronze medalist (2011)
• Ioannis Arzoumanidis (GREECE), at 2011 Ziolowski International
o Two-time World bronze medalist (2009, 2010)
• Tolly Thompson (UNITED STATES), at the 2007 U.S. Open
o World bronze medalist (2005)
• Anzor Boltukaev (RUSSIA), at 2010 World Cup
o World bronze medalist (2013)
• Ruslan Basiev (ARMENIA), at 2010 Stepan Sarkissan International
o World bronze medalist (2006)
• Parviz Hadi Basmenj (IRAN), at 2009 Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix, 2009 Takhti Cup, and 2012 World Cup
o World bronze medalist (2018)
• Davit Modzmanashvili (GEORGIA/UZBEKISTAN), at 2012 World Cup
o Word bronze medalist (2011)
• Zuriko Urtashvili (GEORGIA), at 2016 Paris International
o Word bronze medalist (2018)
• Vasyl Tesmynetski (UKRAINE), at 2009 Takhti Cup
o World bronze medalist (2005)

Here are some of those matches.

Dlagnev vs. Taymazov


That’s right, in the 2011 quarterfinals, Dlagnev did beat Taymazov, the guy who beat him at the 2012 Olympics but just tested positive hereby giving Dlagnev his bronze medal.

Dlagnev vs. Akgul


Before Akgul had ever won a Senior World or Olympic medal, Dlagnev beat him 1-0, 1-0.

Dlagnev vs. Ghasemi


Not only did Dlagnev beat Ghasemi at the 2013 World Championships, he did it by technical fall.

Dlagnev vs. Mutalimov


In the round before defeating Taymazov, Dlagnev took out another Olympic medalist in Mutalimov.

Dlagnev vs. Rodriguez


Dlagnev beats yet another Olympic medalist. This time, at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Dlagnev vs. Gwiazdowski


Here, Dlagnev takes out a young, still in college, long haired, Nick Gwiazdowski in the 2015 U.S. Open semifinals.