Freestyle Wrestling
Men’s -57kg
Vladimer Khinchegashvili (Georgia) started the tournament well, progressing with good wins through to the final. The man that came closest to beating him was Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan) only going down 4-3 in the round of 16. He was also 4-0 down to Vladimir Dubov (Bulgaria) before rallying to win 8-4. The other half saw a big semi-final as Hassan Rahimi (Iran) and Rei Higuchi (Japan) come up against each other after coming through the bracket with big wins. Higuchi managed to upset Rahimi to make his way through to the final, where he would again be the underdog. Higuchi actually led 3-2 as the bout went into its dying moments. Higuchi would get a penalty for passive performance and lose the bout on count-back.
🥇Vladimer Khinchegashvili 🇬🇪
🥈Rei Higuchi 🇯🇵
🥉Hassan Rahimi 🇮🇷
🥉Haji Aliyev 🇦🇿
Men’s -65kg
The reigning world champion heading into the event was Frank Chamizo (Italy) who made his way through to the semi-finals, edging the previous and next world champions in David Safaryan (Armenia) and Zurabi Iakobishvili (Georgia). In the semi though, he would come up against the reigning Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov (Azerbaijan) who would defeat him 7-4. He would come up against Soslan Ramonov (Russia) who had been dominant in the tournament, winning all of his bouts comfortably. He would continue his form in the final, getting a massive 11-0 win to seal gold, his second whitewash of the tournament.
🥇Soslan Ramonov 🇷🇺
🥈Toghrul Asgarov 🇦🇿
🥉Frank Chamizo 🇮🇹
🥉Ikhtiyor Navruzov 🇺🇿
Men’s -74kg
The random draw was felt most harshly here as the top two seeds Jordan Burroughs (United States) and Aniuar Geduev (Russia) came up against each other in the quarter-finals. Burroughs, entered the day having been successful in 129 of his 131 bouts. He first went down to Geduev, unable to claw back an early deficit and then he doubled the loss tally with a shocking 11-1 loss to Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Uzbekistan) which left him in tears. Two 2015 World Championship silver medalists were drawn in the same quarter. Purevjavyn Onorbat (Mongolia) was upset by Soner Demirtas (Turkey) who went on to meet Hassan Yazdani (Iran). He won 7-0 and then got a third whitewash in the semi-final. In the final, Geduev started fast, believing he needed to finish Yazdani as he was beaten up and worn down. He started fast but not enough to force a stoppage and as predicted Yazdani managed to come back towards the end and get the gold.
🥇Hassan Yazdani 🇮🇷
🥈Aniuar Geduev 🇷🇺
🥉Jabrayil Hasanov 🇦🇿
🥉Galymzhan Usserbayev 🇰🇿
Men’s -86kg
Perhaps the most dominant winner was young Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia). Only 20 years old, he won this title in the middle of an almost four-year unbeaten streak. He dropped just one point, against 2012 Olympic champion Sharif Sharifov (Azerbaijan) collecting 28 of his own points. On the other side of the draw, the number four seed Selim Yaşar (Turkey) edged J’Den Cox (United States) due to a caution that Cox has forgotten about. Cox would seal a bronze medal though, beating Reineris Perez Salas (Cuba). It was not without controversy though as he landed a two-point takedown with six seconds to go. Outraged by the decision, Salas walked off the mat, refusing to shake the hand of Cox.
🥇Abdulrashid Sadulaev 🇷🇺
🥈Selim Yaşar 🇹🇷
🥉J’Den Cox 🇺🇸
🥉Sharif Sharifov 🇦🇿
Men’s -97kg
Kyle Snyder (United States) was drawn on the softer side of the draw and took full advantage by winning through to the final. The smallest victory came in the semi-final when only beating Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia) 9-4. The bottom half was more loaded and arguably the key battle came in the round of sixteen as Khetag Gazyumov (Azerbaijan) beat Reza Yazdani (Iran) 2-1. In his following two matchups, he won by a combined score of 23-3 to make the final. In the final it was Snyder who get the gold, edging a 2-1 victory.
🥇Kyle Snyder 🇺🇸
🥈Khetag Gazyumov 🇦🇿
🥉Albert Saritov 🇷🇴
🥉Magomed Ibragimov 🇺🇿
Men’s -125kg
Once again, the top side of the draw was softer. It was the favourite Taha Akgül (Turkey), with his relentless style who came through, winning his three bouts 29-1 on the way to the final. On the other half of the draw were the three medalists from the previous World Championships. The silver medalist Jamaladdin Magomedov (Azerbaijan) lost to 2012 Olympic medalist Tervel Dlagnev (United States) but the Americans' back would give out the following round as he missed repeating. Bronze medalists Geno Petriashvili (Georgia) and Bilyal Makhov (Russia) were due to meet in the round of sixteen but Makhov was upset by Allen Zasyeyev (Ukraine). Petriashvili would subsequently defeat him and go on to face the 2012 Olympic champion, Komeil Ghasemi (Iran). Ghasemi edged the battle 4-4 and headed to the final. There it was the relentless nature of Akgül who won 3-1 to take the gold medal.
🥇Taha Akgül 🇹🇷
🥈Komeil Ghasemi 🇮🇷
🥉Geno Petriashvili 🇬🇪
🥉Ibrahim Saidau 🇧🇾
Women’s -48kg
Eri Tosaka (Japan) was the favourite given she was the reigning triple world champion. After an easy first-round win she came up against Haley Augello (United States) who had a big win over Jessica Blaszka (Netherlands). Augello led 2-1 in the second period until a critical error which helped Tosaka take the lead and get the win before moving into the final by defeating Sun Yanan (China). On the other half of the draw, it was Mariya Stadnik (Azerbaijan) who went through the final without dropping a point. In the final, it was Stadnik who led for the majority of the bout until with three seconds left Tosaka landed a winning tackle. She celebrated by lifting her coach onto her shoulders.
🥇Eri Tosaka 🇯🇵
🥈Mariya Stadnik 🇦🇿
🥉Sun Yanan 🇨🇳
🥉Elitsa Yankova 🇧🇬
Women’s -53kg
Saori Yoshida (Japan) was the heavy favourite as she had taken the three previous Olympic titles and was widely considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers ever. She did not drop a point heading into the final, winning three bouts by a total of 19 points. On the other side of the draw, Sofia Mattsson (Sweden) had the easier quarter and looked dominant on her way to the semi-final where she’d come up against Helen Maroulis (United States) who looked impressive on her way to the semi-final and even better when beating Mattsson 8-0. In the final, looking for a fourth Olympic gold medal, Yoshida was a heavy favourite. However, two takedowns in the final went to Maroulis, to crown the shock gold medalist.
🥇Helen Maroulis 🇺🇸
🥈Saori Yoshida 🇯🇵
🥉Sofia Mattsson 🇸🇪
🥉Nataliya Synyshyn 🇦🇿
Women’s -58kg
Instead of Yoshida winning four gold medals, it was compatriot Kaori Icho (Japan) who won her fourth Olympic title to go along with her ten world titles. She was drawn into a tough half with two medalists from the 2015 World Championships in Elif Jale Yesilirmak (Turkey) and Yuliya Ratkevich (Azerbaijan) as well as double Olympic medalist Jackeline Rentería (Colombia). Icho overcame Yesilirmak and Ratkevich on her way to the final, with a combined score in her three bouts of 24-1. In the other half of the draw, Petra Olli (Finland) was featured as the only remaining medalist from the 2015 World Championship. She went out in the quarter-final though, losing 14-7 to Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) who was herself beaten by Valeria Koblova (Russia). Earlier in the tournament, Koblova had also defeated the woman who had most recently beat Icho in Pürevdorjiin Orkhon (Mongolia). Icho trailed heading into the final minute but would land a two-point score with five seconds to go handing her the win.
🥇Kaori Icho 🇯🇵
🥈Valeria Koblova 🇷🇺
🥉Sakshi Malik 🇮🇳
🥉Marwa Amri 🇹🇳
Women’s -63kg
Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg (Mongolia) was the favourite heading into the tournament after winning the 2015 World Championship but struggled in her opening bout, barely edging Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria). That lack of form came back to bite in her next bout as she was defeated by Elena Pirozhkova (United States), a multiple world championship medalist who herself had beaten another multiple medalist in Taybe Yusein (Bulgaria), the round prior. Instead, it was, Mariya Mamashuk (Belarus) fighting her way through to the final. There she would come up against Risako Kawai (Japan) who had cruised through with an aggregate score of 23-2. She defeated Inna Trazhukova (Russia) 10-0 who had overcome former world champion Marianna Sastin (Hungary) in the earlier rounds. The final went the same way as most of the Kawai fights in the tournament as she dominated on her way to a 6-0 victory.
🥇Risako Kawai 🇯🇵
🥈Maryia Mamashuk 🇧🇾
🥉Yekaterina Larionova 🇰🇿
🥉Monika Michalik 🇵🇱
Women’s -69kg
The reigning Olympic and World Champion Natalia Vorobyova (Russia) headlined the top half of the draw and came through relatively easily without facing another big name to reach the final. The bottom half was stronger but Sara Dosho (Japan) cake through arguably easier with an aggregate score of 37-6. Arguably the most intriguing clash came as Jenny Fransson (Sweden), former world champion beat 2015 bronze medalist Aline Focken (Germany). In the final, it was a 2-2 draw between Vorobyova and Dosho but Dosho won on count-back.
🥇Sara Dosho 🇯🇵
🥈Natalia Vorobyova 🇷🇺
🥉Jenny Fransson 🇸🇪
🥉Elmira Syzdykova 🇰🇿
Women’s -75kg
Unbeaten in three years and looking to become the first American woman to become an Olympic wrestling champion was Adeline Gray (United States). Overly conservative, Gray admitted to overlooking Vasilisa Marzaliuk (Belarus). She was beaten herself by Commonwealth Champion Erica Wiebe (Canada) who overcame former World Champion Zhang Fengliu (China) earlier. The other half of the draw looked relatively open and the experience paid off as double Olympic medalist Guzel Manyurova (Kazakhstan) made her way through to the final, guaranteeing another medal. In the final, Wiebe would keep her opponent scoreless, the third time in four bouts, to get the gold medal.
🥇Erica Wiebe 🇨🇦
🥈Guzel Manyurova 🇰🇿
🥉Zhang Fengliu 🇨🇳
🥉Ekaterina Bukina 🇷🇺
Greco-Roman Wrestling
Men’s -59kg
Ismael Borrero (Cuba) was the reigning World Champion and made his way through his half quite comfortably. The toughest challenge came in the semi-final against Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan) who he could only beat 4-1. Borrero beat Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijan) in the World Championship final and Bayramov looked impressive on his way to the semi-finals winning by a combined score of 17-0. The big threat was considered to be Hamid Sourian (Iran), reigning Olympic Champion and six-time World Champion. He was in the bottom quarter alongside Almat Kebispayev, who won a bronze at the 2015 World Championships. Instead, both men lost to Shinobu Ota (Japan) who then defeated Bayramov. His run was stopped in the final as Borrero beat him 8-0.
🥇Ismael Borrero 🇨🇺
🥈Shinobu Ota 🇯🇵
🥉Elmurat Tasmuradov 🇺🇿
🥉Stig-Andre Berge 🇳🇴
Men’s -66kg
Frank Stabler (Germany) was the 2015 World Champion and came up against 2014 World Champion Davor Stefanek (Serbia) in a big quarter-final tie. The Serbian managed to get the 6-2 win. Also in that half was reigning Olympic Champion Omid Norouzi (Iran) but he was upset by Shmagi Bolkvadze (Georgia). Also, a 2015 World Champion was Rasul Chumnayev (Azerbaijan), who cruised through to the semi-finals where he came up against Migran Arutyunyan (Armenia) who had beaten 2015 silver medalist Ryu Han-So (South Korea). Arutyunyann looked great in defeating Chumnayev 4-1 in the semi-final. Arutyunyan lex in the final but late on Stefanek was offered a passivity and being the last person to score was given the gold, despite Arutyunyan being the aggressor throughout the bout.
🥇Davor Stefanek 🇷🇸
🥈Migran Arutyunyan 🇦🇲
🥉Rasul Chumnayev 🇦🇿
🥉Shmagi Bolkvadze 🇬🇪
Men’s -75kg
Another reigning Olympic and World Champion was Roman Vlasov (Russia). He was drawn against 2013 World Champion Kim Hyeon-Woo (South Korea) in the opening round but prevailed 7-5. On the other side of the half was Selcuk Cebi (Turkey) who was also a World Champion at a different weight. He was defeated by Bozo Starcevic (Croatia) who went on to lose in the semi-finals 6-3 to Vlasov. In the bottom half of the draw Mark Madsen (Denmark) and Doszhan Kartikov (Kazakhstan), who had both medalled in the Olympics were on opposite sides. Kartikov was beaten by Elvin Mursaliyev (Azerbaijan) 5-1, who in turn lost to former World Champion Peter Bácsi (Hungary). It was a tight semi-final between Bácsi and Madsen but Madsen scores a solitary point which was enough to get to the final. A repeat of the World Championship final, Vlasov was able to repeat, with a 5-1 victory.
🥇Roman Vlasov 🇷🇺
🥈Mark Madsen 🇩🇰
🥉Kim Hyeon-Woo 🇰🇷
🥉Saeid Abdevali 🇮🇷
Men’s -85kg
Again, the reigning world champion and a favourite for the top half of the draw was dominant in making the final. It was Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) cruising through, only dropping one point in three bouts. The most notable aspect of the bottom half of the draw came as bronze medalists from the World Championships Saman Tahmasebi (Azerbaijan) and Habibollah Akhlaghi (Iran) scheduled to meet in the round of sixteen. Instead, Davit Chakvetadze (Russia) would defeat both men in a superb run to the final. He was just as dominant in the final, winning 9-2 over the Ukrainian.
🥇Davit Chakvetadze 🇷🇺
🥈Zhan Beleniuk 🇺🇦
🥉Denis Kudla 🇩🇪
🥉Javid Hamzatau 🇧🇾
Men’s -98kg
Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) took the favouritism as the 2015 World Champion and cruised through the rounds. He won three straight to get to the final with an aggregate score of 22-2. It was Cenk Ildem (Turkey) who he beat in the semi-finals after the Turk had upset 2015 bronze medalist Islam Magomedov (Russia). A host of former medalists were in the bottom half of the draw and in a tough opening bout Balázs Kiss (Hungary), a former world champion beat 2015 bronze medalist Dimitriy Timchenko (Ukraine). Fredrik Schön (Sweden) beat Kiss and made his way through to the semi-finals, where he came up against Yasmany Lugo (Cuba). The Cuban also defeated 2012 Olympic gold medalist Ghasem Rezaei (Iran). Lugo defeated Schön 2-0 in the semi-final, continuing his run of not conceding any points. In the final though, he was held scoreless, going down 3-0 to Aleksanyan.
🥇Artur Aleksanyan 🇦🇲
🥈Yasmany Lugo 🇨🇺
🥉Cenk Ildem 🇹🇷
🥉Ghasem Rezaei 🇮🇷
Men’s -130kg
It was inevitable that we would see a repeat of the World Championship final over the previous two years in Mijain Lopez (Cuba) and Riza Kayaalp (Turkey). In the six bouts it took the pair to reach the final, they managed an aggregate score of 31-0. To get through the final, Mijain Lopez has to defeat the other two medalists from London in Heiki Nabi (Estonia) and Johan Euren (Sweden). In the much anticipated final, Lopez got a quick start with a chest-lock and flipping Kayaalp to go 4-0 up. The final would never become close again, as Lopez would continue to nick points to get a 6-0 win and take his third Olympic gold medal.
🥇Mijain Lopez 🇨🇺
🥈Riza Kayaalp 🇹🇷
🥉Sabah Shariati 🇦🇿
🥉Sergey Semenov 🇷🇺
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