Olympic Games preview in Greco-Roman at 85 kg/187 lbs.
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
| Two-time U.S. Olympian Ben Provisor at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Photo: Austin Bernard, Tech-Fall.com. |
The 85 kg/187 lbs. Greco-Roman weight class at the 2016 Olympic Games is one of the more wide-open brackets in terms of dark horse talent pulling through for a medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ukrainian Zhan Beleniuk has emerged as the 85 kg favorite after a dynamic gold medal performance at the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. where he survived a gauntlet of championships contenders. His list wins in Las Vegas included past World medalists Viktor Loerincz of Hungary, Damian Janikowski of Poland, Saman Thamasebi of Azerbaijan and Rustam Assakalov of Uzbekistan.
After winning his first World title last September, Beleniuk topped the charts at four international competitions including the World Military Games and European Championships. His only loss this year came to Russian upstart David Chakvetadze in the finals of the Golden Grand Prix Finals in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The 25-year-old and current World No. 1 Ukrainian topped Assakalov convincingly in the World finals last year, 6-0.
Last year’s World silver is the only World medal Assakalov has earned throughout his career, but he does own gold medals from the 2015 Asian Championships and 2014 Asian Games. He is ranked No. 3 in the World.
Azerbaijan’s fourth ranked Thamasebi has earned five World medals since 2006, two silver and three bronze. He has also participated in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games giving him the edge on all other Rio entrants in terms of experience.
Thamasebi wrestled for powerhouse Iran through the 2008 Olympics, but elected to switch over to Azerbaijan thereafter. He has medaled at every World Championships this quadrennial. Thamasebi fell to Belenuik in the semifinals of the World Championships last year, 3-1.
Veteran Habibollah Akhlaghi of Iran pushed through for World bronze in 2015, his first World-level medal since 2009 where he also took bronze. World No. 9 Akhlaghi was an Olympian in 2012 and has a University World title to his credit from 2008.
Hungary’s Loerincz is a serious medal threat come Rio after wrestling for a World bronze medal the past three years. He finished with a World bronze in 2013 and 2014 followed by a fifth place finish last year. Loerincz sits at No. 5 in the World rankings.
The Russian entrant at 85 kg is still up in the air between 2015 European Games champion Chakvetadze and 2004 Olympic champion Aleksej Mishin. World No. 2 Chakvetadze topped World No. 6 Mishin in the finals of Russia Nationals, but Mishin was the man to qualify Russia to compete in Rio.
Mishin has won gold medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Military Games, World Military Championships, and Junior Worlds throughout his legendary career. He is a five-time World medalist and two-time Olympian for Russia.
Rami Hietaniemi of Finland finished in fifth place at the World Championships last year and possesses a wealth of international experience on the Senior level dating back to 2002. His only World medal came in 2011 when he won bronze. Hietaniemi was an Olympian in 2012.
Another wrestler bringing a World medal pedigree to Rio de Janeiro is World No. 13 Javid Gamzatov of Belarus who won bronze in 2013. That same year he was a bronze medalist at the World University Games.
Armenia’s Maksim Manukyan brings an interesting mix of credentials to the table in Rio. The 16th ranked wrestler in the World won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Military Championships, a silver medal at the 2013 World University Championships and a bronze medal at the 2011 World Beach Championships.
Georgian Roberti Kobliashvili placed second to Beleniuk at the European Championships this year, but has not competed at a World Championships or Olympic Games in his young career. He slots in at No. 8 in the World.
American Ben Provisor will make his return Olympic appearance in Rio de Janeiro after a quadrennial littered with injuries and disappointment. Provisor was a three-time Junior World Team member for the U.S. from 2008-10 prior to making the U.S. Olympic Team in 2012.
Past Cadet World champion and Junior World silver medalist Denis Kudla of Germany could play spoiler to many at 85 kg. Kudla is ranked No. 7 in the World.
Notables that did not qualify for the Olympics at 85 kg include 2014 World champion Melonin Noumonvi of France and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Damian Janikowski of Poland.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Algeria - Adem Boudjemline
Armenia - Maksim Manukyan (World No. 16)
Azerbaijan - Saman Tahmasebi (World No. 4)
Belarus - Javid Gamzatov (World No. 13)
Bulgaria - Nikolai Bayrakov (World No. 14)
China - Fei Peng
Egypt - Ahmed Saad
Finland - Rami Hietaniemi
Georgia - Roberti Kobliashvili (World No. 8)
Germany - Denis Kudla (World No. 7)
Hungary -Viktor Loerincz (World No. 5)
India - Ravinder Khatri
Iran - Habibollah Akhlaghi (World No. 9)
Mexico - Alfonso Leyva Yepez
Russia – David Chakvetadze (World No. 2) or Aleksej Mishin (World No. 6)
Sweden – Zakarias Berg (World No. 19)
Ukraine - Zhan Beleniuk (World No. 1)
United States – Ben Provisor
Uzbekistan - Rustam Assakalov (World No. 3)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2015 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); Silver – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); Bronze – Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 5th – Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 5th – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 7th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 8th – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 9th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 10th – David Chakvetadze (Russia)
2014 World Championships
85 kg/187 lbs. – Gold – Melonin Noumonvi (France); Silver – Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); Bronze – Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine); 5th – Kristofer Johansson (Sweden); 5th – Ramsin Azizsir (Germany); 7th – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); 8th – Masayuki Amano (Japan); 9th – Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt); 10th – Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia)
2013 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Taleb Nematpour (Iran); Silver - Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Javid Gamzatov (Belarus); Bronze - Viktor Loerincz (Hungary); 5th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Rami Hietaniemi (Finland); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Maksim Manukyan (Armenia); 9th – Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan); 10th - Nursultan Tursynov (Kazakhstan)
2012 Olympic Games
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alan Khugaev (Russia); Silver - Karam Gaber (Egypt); Bronze - Danjel Gajiyev (Kazakhstan); Bronze - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 5th - Vladimer Gegeshidze (Georgia); 5th - Melonin Noumonvi (France); 7th - Pablo Shorey (Cuba); 8th - Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 9th - Chas Betts (USA); 10th - Amer Hrustanovic (Austria)
2011 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Alim Selimau (Belarus); Silver - Damian Janikowski (Poland); Bronze - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Bronze - Rami Heitaniemi (Finland); 5th - Alan Khugaev (Russia); 5th - Saman Ahman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan); 7th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 8th - Andrea Minguzzi (Italy); 9th - Se-Yeol Lee (Korea); 10th - Marian Mihalik (Slovakia)
2010 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold – Hristo Marinov (Bulgaria); Silver – Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); Bronze – Alexej Mishin (Russia); Bronze – Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 5th – Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); 5th – Damian Janikowski (Poland); 7th – Alhazur Ozdiev (Kazakhstan); 8th – Vladimir Gegeshidze (Georgia); 9th – Vasil Rachyba (Ukraine); 10th – Laimutis Adomaitis (Lithuania)
2009 World Championships
84 kg/185 lbs. – Gold - Nazmi Avluca (Turkey); Silver - Melonin Noumonvi (France); Bronze - Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran); Bronze - Pablo Shorey Hernandez (Cuba); 5th - Badri Khasaia (Georgia); 5th - Shalva Gadabadze (Azerbaijan); 7th - Jose Antonio Arias Paredes (Dominican Republic); 8th - Damian Janikowski (Poland); 9th - Nenad Zugaj (Croatia); 10th - Hyo-Chul Cho (Korea)
