Olympic Games preview in men’s freestyle at 97 kg/213 lbs.
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
| 2015 World champion Kyle Snyder (USA) aims for Olympic gold one year after becoming youngest World champion in U.S. history. Photo: Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com. |
The 97 kg/213 lbs. bracket at the 2016 Olympic Games holds as much firepower as any in the men’s freestyle competition set for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Four past World champions and eight total World and Olympic medalists headline what hopes to be a thrilling race for Olympic gold.
20-year-old Kyle Snyder of the United States captured World gold last year on his home soil in his first appearance at the Senior World Championships. Snyder became the youngest World Champion in U.S. history by defeating Russian World champion Abdusalam Gadisov, 5-5, in the gold medal match.
Since winning the World title, Snyder has dropped three international bouts and fallen to No. 4 in the World rankings. His losses came to World-class opponents Anzor Boltukaev of Russia, Khadshimourad Gatsalov of Russia and Khetag Gazumov of Azerbaijan.
Snyder finished with bronze medals at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, Alexander Medved International and Grand Prix of Germany this year. He posted an undefeated mark at the Freestyle World Cup in June. He is a two-time Junior World medalist, finishing with gold in 2013 and bronze in 2014.
To qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team, Snyder defeated 2012 Olympic Champion Jake Varner best two-of-three in the Olympic Trials finals. Snyder dropped match one to Varner before winning bouts two and three in the epic series.
Getting the nod for Russia out of the Gadisov, Boltukaev, Gatsalov trio is 2013 World bronze medalist and current World No. 1 Boltukaev. Nicknamed the “God of Thunder,” Boltukaev has solidified himself atop the World rankings with gold medal outings at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, European Championships and Russia Nationals in 2016.
Long-time Azerbaijani staple Gazumov has won a grand total of seven World and Olympic medals dating back to 2009. He was crowned World champion in 2010 and earned bronze medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Last year Gazumov finished in third place at the World Championships after falling to the eventual silver medalist Gadisov in the quarterfinals. Gazumov defeated Snyder at the Grand Prix of Germany by a 2-1 decision lifting himself to No. 3 in the World rankings.
After battling the injury bug the past two years, two-time World champion Reza Yazdani of Iran looks to be heading to the Olympics for the third time since 2008. He failed to medal in both Beijing and London, but has earned World gold in 2011 and 2013, on top of World bronze in 2006 and 2007.
In 2016, World No. 10 Yazdani has competed twice internationally, winning gold at the Takhti Cup and Asian Championships.
The Ukrainian power-duo of two-time World medalists Pavlo Oliinyk and Valerii Andriitsev have battled it out for the 2016 Olympic berth, and all indications are World No. 8 Andriitsev will get the nod.
Andriitsev finished with the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, losing to Varner in the gold medal match. He tacked on a World bronze medal in 2014 avenging the Olympic loss to Varner in the process.
Armenian Georgi Ketoev returns to wrestling’s pinnacle for the first time since winning bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games under the Russian banner. He was a World champion for Russia in 2007 and wrestled for the international powerhouse through the 2013 season before transferring to Armenia.
Ketoev enters the World rankings at No. 12 heading into Rio after striking gold at the 1st World Olympic Games Qualifier and Stepan Sargsyan International this summer.
Also pulling the Russian switcheroo is 2011 World bronze medalist Albert Saritov who will compete for Romania in Brazil. Saritov is ranked No. 15 in the World.
Elizbar Odikadze of Georgia has finished in fifth place at the last two World Championships and boasts a No. 5 World ranking heading into Rio.
Javier Cortina Lacerra of Cuba won a World bronze medal in 2014, but has posted less than stellar results since, and fallen out of the World rankings. Cortina Lacerra was an Olympian in 2012.
Other past Olympians in the 97 kg field include World No. 11 Nicolai Ceban of Moldova, World No. 17 Magomed Musaev of Kyrgyzstan and World No. 18 Jose Daniel Diaz Robertti of Venezuela.
PROJECTED OLYMPIC GAMES FIELD
Armenia - Georgi Ketoev (World No. 12)
Azerbaijan - Khetag Gazumov (World No. 3)
Cuba - Javier Cortina Lacerra
Georgia - Elizbar Odikadze (World No. 6)
Guinea-Bissau - Bedopassa Buassat Djonde
Iran - Reza Yazdani (World No. 10)
Kazakhstan - Mamed Ibragimov (World No. 16)
Kyrgyzstan - Magomed Musaev (World No. 17)
Moldova - Nicolai Ceban (World No. 11)
Mongolia – Khuderbulga Dorjkhand (World No. 13)
Nigeria - Soso Tamarau
Poland - Radoslaw Baran (World No. 7)
Romania - Albert Saritov (World No. 15)
Russia – Anzor Boltukaev (World No. 1)
Turkey - Ibrahim Bolukbasi (World No. 14)
Ukraine - Pavlo Oliinyk (World No. 9) or Valerii Andriitsev (World No. 8)
United States - Kyle Snyder (World No. 4)
Uzbekistan - Magomed Ibragimov (World No. 17)
Venezuela - Jose Daniel Diaz Robertti (World No. 18)
RECENT WORLD AND OLYMPIC RESULTS
2015 World Championships
97 kg/213 lbs. – Gold – Kyle Snyder (United States); Silver – Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia); Bronze – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Pablo Oliinyk (Ukraine); 5th – Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia); 5th – Abbas Tahan (Iran); 7th – Stefan Kehrer (Germany); 8th – Ibrahim Boulukbasi (Turkey); 9th – Magomed Musaev (Kyrgyzstan); 10th – Jaegang Kim (Korea)
2014 World Championships
97 kg/213 lbs. – Gold – Abdulsalam Gadisov (Russia); Silver – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Javier Cortina (Cuba); Bronze – Valerii Andriitsev (Ukraine); 5th – Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia); 7th – Egzon Shala (Albania); 8th – Khderbulga Dorjkhand (Mongolia); 10th – Zueyi Zhang (China).
2013 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Gold – Reza Yazdani (Iran); Silver – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Anzor Boltukaev (Russia); Bronze – Pavlo Oliinyk (Ukraine); 5th – Aleksey Krupnyakov (Kyrgyzstan); 5th – Dato Kerashvili (Georgia); 7th – Kamil Skaskiewicz (Poland); 8th – Takeshi Yamaguchi (Japan); 9th – Nicolai Ceban (Moldova); 10th – Egzon Shala (Albania)
2012 Olympic Games
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Gold – Jake Varner (USA); Silver – Valeri Andriitsev (Ukraine); Bronze – George Gogeshelidze (Georgia); Bronze – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); 5th – Kurban Kurbanov (Kazakhstan); 5th – Reza Yazdani (Iran); 7th – Magomed Musaev (Kyrgyzstan); 8th – Rustam Isokawa (Japan); 9th – Abdusalam Gadisov (Russia); 10th – Khetag Pliev (Canada)
2011 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Gold – Reza Yazdani (Iran); Silver – Serhat Balci (Turkey); Bronze – Ruslan Sheikhau (Belarus); Bronze – Jake Varner (USA); 5th – Sinivie Boltic (Nigeria); 5th – Taimuraz Tigiyev (Kazakhstan); 7th – Rustam Iskandari (Tajikistan); 8th – Gergely Sandor Kiss (Hungary); 9th – Jozef Jaloviar (Slovakia); 10th – Kurban Kurbanov (Uzbekistan)
2010 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Gold – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); Silver – Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia); Bronze – Alexey Krupnyakov (Kyrgyzstan); Bronze – George Gogshelidze (Georgia); 5th – Ruslan Sheikhau (Belarus); 5th – Arfan Amiri (Iran); 7th – Khetag Pliev (Canada); 8th – Michel Batista (Cuba); 9th – Serhat Balci (Turkey); 10th – J.D. Bergman (USA)
2009 World Championships
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Gold – Khadshimourad Gatsalov (Russia); Silver – Khetag Gazumov (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Serhat Balci (Turkey); Bronze – George Gogchelidze (Georgia); 5th – Ruslan Sheikhau (Belarus); 5th – Saeed Abrahimi (Iran); 7th – Oldrick Wagner (Germany); 8th – Saleh Moustafa Emara (Egypt); 9th – Jake Varner (USA); 10th – Edgar Yenokyan (Armenia)
