Olympic Games preview in men’s freestyle at 57 kg/125.5 lbs.
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
| Dan Dennis (USA) takes on defending World champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili (GEO) at the 2016 Men's Freestyle World Cup. Photo: Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com. |
A plethora of elite contenders will be vying for the 57 kg/125.5 lbs. men’s freestyle gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Currently atop the contender list is 2015 World champion Vladimer Khinchegahsvili of Georgia. The top-ranked wrestler in the World has steadily improved his dynamic arsenal since snatching a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. He is the only wrestler in the field who has previously won an Olympic medal.
Khinchegahsvili picked up his first World title in Las Vegas last year with a thrilling last second victory over World No. 2 Hassan Rahimi of Iran. While trailing by one point, the Georgian executed a picture-perfect superduck in the waning moments of the bout to strike gold.
This year Khinchegahsvili suffered a loss to 2013 World champion Bekhan Goigereev of Russia wrestling up at 61 kg/134 lbs., but he has remained unscathed at 57 kg. This includes a gold medal finish at the always tough European Championships. He was a silver medalist at the 2014 World Championships.
Rahimi has medaled at the last four World Championships and was an Olympian in 2012. In 2013, Rahimi topped the World in Budapest, Hungary to capture his first and only World title. He finished with World silver last year and World bronze in 2011 and 2014.
Azerbaijan standout Haji Aliev plans to make the drop from 61 kg and give it a go against the lightweights at the Olympic Games. Aliev has won the past two World Championships at 61 kg and is ranked No.1 in that division, but is yet to compete at 57 kg internationally.
Aliev and Khinchegahsvili met in the semifinals of the European Championships in March with the Georgian winning, 4-2.
Should the weight cut prove too much for Aliev, on standby for Azerbaijan is 2014 Junior World silver medalist and World No. 15 Mirjalal Hasan-Zada.
2014 World bronze medalist Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez of Cuba sits at No. 3 in the World rankings. Big things are expected from the high-flying Cuban in his second attempt at an Olympic medal. He lost a controversial decision to Russian veteran Viktor Lebedev at the 2015 Worlds.
Lebedev is a four-time World medalist and two-time World champion for the Russian Federation. After a controversial Russia Nationals at 57 kg that saw Lebedev come out on top in dramatic fashion, all indications are that Lebedev will indeed be the Russian representative in Rio.
At the 2015 World Championships Lebedev finished with a bronze medal after falling to Rahimi in the semifinals. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the World.
The quartet of Kinchegashvili, Rahimi, Aliev and Lebedev present 57 kg with four World champions who have combined to win 13 World and Olympic medals.
Two other Rio entrants at 57 kg picked up bronze medals at the World Championships one year ago.
Bulgaria’s Vladimir Dubov won a bronze at 61 kg in Las Vegas. He also owns a World silver medal at 60 kg from 2013. The Bulgarian has won three international medals at 57 kg this year including gold at the European Olympic Qualifier. Dubov is ranked No. 3 in the World at 61 kg.
World No. 5 Bekhbayar Erdenebat of Mongolia is a serious medal threat at this weight. He has wrestled for a medal at the previous two World Championships and won a bronze last year. This time four years ago Erdenebat was competing in the Junior division where he won a World Championship.
Senegal’s Adama Diatta will make his second trip to the Olympic Games come Rio. Diatta is a six-time Africa champion and currently ranked No. 20 in the World.
Asian champion Sandeep Tomar could prove problematic to the 57 kg field. He doesn’t have the vast international experience the top contenders in this weight possess, but when he has wrestled internationally he wins. Tomar has earned a medal at every international event he has competed in since 2012 including a gold at the 2014 World Military Championships.
Donning the Stars and Stripes at 57 kg in Rio will be Daniel Dennis. After finishing in second place at the U.S. World Team Trials at 61 kg in 2015, Dennis made the decision to drop to 57 kg for the Olympic year, and it more than paid off.
Dennis defeated two-time U.S. World Team member Tony Ramos in the finals of the Olympic Trials. The two were both NCAA All-Americans at the University of Iowa and teammates at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
In his final Rio tune-up event, Dennis took first place at the Grand Prix of Germany. He also competed at the Freestyle World Cup in June where he went 2-2 with his only losses coming to Khinchegahsvili and Rahimi.
The U.S. has not won a World or Olympic medal in the lightest weight class since Henry Cejudo won gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Armenia - Garnik Mnatsakanyan (World No. 18)
Azerbaijan - Haji Aliev (World No. 1 at 61 kg)
Bulgaria - Vladimir Dubov (World No. 3 at 61 kg)
Cuba - Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (World No. 3)
Georgia -Vladimer Khinchegahsvili (World No. 1)
India - Sandeep Tomar (World No. 13)
Iran - Hassan Rahimi (World No. 2)
Japan - Rei Higuchi (World No. 10)
Kazakhstan - Artas Sanaa (World No. 8)
Korea - Junsik Yun
Mongolia - Bekhbayar Erdenebat (World No. 5)
Morocco - Chakir Ansari
North Korea – Hak-Jin Jong (World No. 4)
Romania - Ivan Guidea (World No. 12)
Russia – Viktor Lebedev (World No. 7)
Senegal - Adama Diatta (World No. 20)
Turkey - Suleyman Atli (World No. 11)
United States – Daniel Dennis
Uzbekistan - Abbos Rakhmonov
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2015 World Championships
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Gold – Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia); Silver – Hassan Rahimi (Iran); Bronze – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia); Bronze – Viktor Lebedev (Russia); 5th – Artas Sanaa (Kazakhstan); 5th – Hak Jin Jong (North Korea); 7th – Asadulia Lachinau (Belarus); 8th – Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria); 9th – Yuki Takahashi (Japan); 10th – Zoheir El Quarraqe (France)
2014 World Championships
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Gold – Kyong Il Yang (North Korea); Silver – Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia); Bronze – Uladzislau Andreyeu (Belarus); Bronze – Hassan Rahimi (Iran); 5th – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia); 5th – Yuki Takahashi (Japan); 7th – Axmedmabi Guezzatilov (Azerbaijan); 8th – Mehmed Feraim (Bulgaria); 9th – Viktor Lebedev (Russia); 10th – Qi Mude (China)
2013 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Hassan Rahimi (Iran); Silver – Amit Kumar (India); Bronze – Sezar Akgul (Turkey); Bronze – Nariman Israpilov (Russia); 5th – Angel Escobedo (USA); 5th – Rasul Kaliyev (Kazakhstan); 7th – Zoheir El Ouarraqe (France); 8th – Altynbek Alymbaev (Kyrgyzstan); 9th – Bekhbayar Erdenebat (Mongolia); 10th – Giorgi Edisherashvili (Georgia)
2012 Olympic Games
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Dzhamel Otarsulatnov (Russia); Silver – Vladimir Khinchegashvili (Georgia); Bronze – Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea); Bronze – Shinichi Yumoto (Japan); 5th – Daulet Niyazbekov (Kazakhstan); 5th – Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria); 7th – Mihran Jaburyan (Armenia); 8th – Hassan Rahimi (Iran); 9th – Ahmet Peker (Turkey); 10th – Amit Kumar (India)
2011 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Viktor Lebedev (Russia); Silver – Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria); Bronze – Daulet Niyabekov (Kazakhstan); Bronze – Hassan Rahimi (Iran); 5th – Mihran Jaburyan (Armenia); 5th – Nick Simmons (USA); 7th – Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia); 8th – Shinichi Yumoto (Japan); 9th –
Nurlan Makenaliev (Kyrgyzstan); 10th – Bayaraa Naranbaatar (Mongolia)
2010 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Viktor Lebedev (Russia); Silver – Toghrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Frank Chamizo (Cuba); Bronze – Yasuhiro Inaba (Japan); 5th – Hyo-Sub Kim (Korea); 5th – Naranbaatar Bayaraa (Mongolia); 7th – Radoslav Velikov (Bulgaria); 8th – Rizvan Gadzhiev (Belarus); 9th – Obe Blanc (USA); 10th – Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
2009 World Championships
55 kg/121 lbs. – Gold – Kyong-Il Yang (North Korea); Silver – Sezar Akgul (Turkey); Bronze – Viktor Lebedev (Russia); Bronze – Rizvan Gadzhiev (Belarus); 5th – Krasimir Krastanov (Great Britain); 5th – Namig Sevdimov (Azerbaijan); 7th – Mykola Aivazian (Ukraine); 8th – Mihan Jaburyan (Armenia); 9th – Hyo-Sub Kim (Korea); 10th – Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
