Wrestling 2024 Paris Olympics Review
- Cain Bradley
- Aug 25, 2024
- 13 min read
Updated: Nov 6
Men’s Greco-Roman -60kg
The top half saw the two big names progress to the semi-finals. Zholaman Sharshenbekov (Kyrgyzstan) advanced with a combined score of 15-3 whilst Kenichiro Fumita (Japan) was even more dominant at 20-1. In the anticipated semi-final clash, Sharshenbekov took an early lead but a perfectly timed throw from Fumita in the second round proved to be an unassailable lead despite a late attack from Sharshenbekov. The upsets came in the bottom side of the draw. Ri Se-ung (North Korea) stunned Victor Ciobanu (Moldova) whilst Rainer Rodriguez (Venezuela) beat Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) in the round of sixteen. Se-ung then crushed Islomjon Bakhromov (Uzbekistan) 9-0 but Rodriguez fell to Cao Liguo (China). The fairy-tale run ended in the semi-final when Liguo leveled the score with a last second throw against Se-Ung and advanced as the last wrestler to score. In the final, Fumita's rock-solid defence sealed the gold with a 4-1 victory.
🥇Kenichiro Fumita 🇯🇵
🥈Cao Liguo 🇨🇳
🥉Zholaman Sharshenbekov 🇰🇬
🥉Ri Se-ung 🇰🇵
I thought the top half was tougher and it came down to Fumita vs Sharshenbekov but I went for the wrong man. Se-ung was a tough one to predict
Men’s Greco-Roman -67kg
The big upset of round one saw Parviz Nasibov (Ukraine) defeat Mate Nemes (Serbia). Luis Orta (Cuba) exited in the quarter-finals, after a 9-0 loss to Saeid Esmaeili (Iran) , who avenged his defeat from the ranking series. In the semi-finals, Nasibov edged Hasrat Jafarov (Azerbaijan) 3-3 on criteria but suffered a gruesome injury as his eye was swollen shut. Esmaeili built up a big lead in his semi but dram struck when Slavik Galstyan (Armenia) thought he had pinned him, omly for it to be ruled out of bounds. Esmaeili would go onto seal the win 10-4. It was a close final but the Iranian would do enough to triumph 6-5 having trailed 3-0 at the first break.
🥇Saeid Esmaeili 🇮🇷
🥈Parviz Nasibov 🇺🇦
🥉Hasrat Jafarov 🇦🇿
🥉Luis Orta 🇨🇺
If I noted the right Iranian as competing I think I would have got all four correct. Jafarov losing to Nasibov was still a bit of a surprise to me
Men’s Greco-Roman -77kg
In the top quarter, Nao Kusaka (Japan) dominated early with two wins, outscoring opponents 21-2. The big match-up came in the semi-finals against Malkhas Amoyan (Armenia) who had advanced without conceding a point. Kusaka would take the 3-1 victory to reach the final. On the other side of the draw, Akhzol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan) was suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat to Demeu Zhadrayev (Kazakhstan). He would follow up against Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) and win 6-1 to make the final impressively. In the gold medal bout, Zhadrayev struck first, taking a 2-0 lead against Kusaka in the first period. However, Kusaka would rally, scoring five unanswered points, sealing gold with some great defence. Makhmudov later edged Suleymanov for bronze after surviving a late challenge for evasion.
🥇Nao Kusaka 🇯🇵
🥈Demeu Zhadrayev 🇰🇿
🥉Akzhol Makhmudov 🇰🇬
🥉Malkhas Amoyan 🇦🇲
Zhadrayev was a surprise medalists to me.
Men’s Greco-Roman -87kg
One of the biggest upsets in the opening round of Greco-Roman wrestling came when Arkadiusz Kulynycz (Poland) stunned Ali Cengiz (Turkey) 5-3. On the opposite side of the draw, David Losonczi (Hungary) overcame a tough draw to beat Rafig Huseynov (Azerbaijan) 5-2. Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) also beat Turpal Bisultanov (Denmark) 5-1. The quarter-finals saw fewer surprises although Kulynycz's run ended as he was beaten 10-1 by Alireza Mohmadi (Iran). In a tactical semi-final, Mohmadi edged Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine) on criteria following a 3-3 score. The other semi-final saw Novikov's strong defence earn a 3-1 victory. The final proved one-sided as Novikov took a 7-0 victory.
🥇Semen Novikov 🇧🇬
🥈Alireza Mohmadi 🇮🇷
🥉Zhan Beleniuk 🇺🇦
🥉Turpal Bisultanov 🇩🇰
I described this as a tough division to predict and so it proved
Men’s Greco-Roman -97kg
The top half of the bracket followed the seeding which set-up a monster clash between Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia) and Gabriel Rosillo (Cuba). At halfway, Aleksanyan led 5-3 thanks to an impressive gut-wrench. No points were scored in the second half and Aleksanyan moved onto the final. Mohammad Hadi Saravi (Iran) would cruise through to the final, achieving a combined score of 24-1 in three bouts. In the final, Saravi struck a late takedown to go up 3-1, despite a challenge. He sealed gold with a fourth point. Rosillo claimed bronze after Rustam Assakalov (Uzbekistan)was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (Kyrgyzstan) would defeat Mohamed Gabr (Egpyt) 2-1 in an gruelling contest to take the other bronze
🥇Mohammad Hadi Saravi 🇮🇷
🥈Artur Aleksanyan 🇦🇲
🥉Uzur Dzhuzupbekov 🇰🇬
🥉Gabriel Rosillo 🇨🇺
I got the final right and even Rosillo losing in the semi final. I think those three were clear from the rest. I mentioned it could be too soon for Khaslakhanau and so it proved
Men’s Greco-Roman -130kg
This was all about Mijain Lopez (Cuba) and his quest to be the first Olympian to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event. He opened with a dominant 7-0 victory over Lee Seung-Chan (South Korea) 7-0 to set up a showdown with number one seed Amin Mirzazadeh (Iran). A point for inactivity and a decisive gut-wrench gave Lopez a 3-1 win. It was a similar story in the semi-final as he defeated Sabah Shariati (Azerbaijan). In the final, he took on former Cuban Yasmani Acosta (Chile). Lopez struck first with an inactivity point then added a turn. He built a 6-0 lead and Acosta could not do anything to score. Lopez would take gold, before leaving his shoes in the mat in a symbolic farewell. Acosta had upset Kiril Milov (Bulgaria) and Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) on his way to the semi finals before beating Meng Lingzhe (China) to reach the final.
🥇Mijain Lopez 🇨🇺
🥈Yasmani Acosta 🇨🇱
🥉Amin Mirzazadeh 🇮🇷
🥉Meng Lingzhe 🇨🇳
Trust in legends! Lopez was there and I trusted Mitzazadeh given his form over recent years.
Men’s Freestyle -57kg
This division saw an early shake-up as Steven Micic (Serbia) withdrew due to injury prior to day one. The opening round mainly went as script, before the high-scoring quarter-finals with each winner scoring at least twelve points. The upsets also came as Aman Sehrawat (India) beat Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) and Gulomjon Abdullaev (Uzbekistan) beat Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia). In the semis, Rei Higuchi (Japan) made quick work of Sehrawat ending the bout before the first break. Spencer Lee (United States) matched that to set up an intriguing final. Lee struck first, twice driving Higuchi out of bounds. Higuchi answered with a double leg and as Lee pressed forward, Higuchi was able to score another couple of points to seal gold. Sehrawat claimed bronze in fast-paced 13-5 bout while Abdullaev got the victory in a slower-paced contest.
🥇Rei Higuchi 🇯🇵
🥈Spencer Lee 🇺🇸
🥉Aman Sehrawat 🇮🇳
🥉Gulomjon Abdullaev 🇺🇿
I mentioned Higuchi as the solid consistent performer and the threat of Lee and Sehrawat without going for any to medal. Micic pulling out also did not help
Men’s Freestyle -65kg
Tomor-Ochiryn Tulga (Mongolia) battled through the top quarter, defeating Alejandro Valdes (Cuba) and Vazgen Tevenyan (Armenia). In the semi final, he came up against Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan), who defeated Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico) in the quarter finals. Tulga led 1-0 at the break but Kiyooka stormed back with five unanswered points including a slick reversal, to make the final. On the other side of the draw, it was Rahman Amouzad (Iran) who made the final. He defeated Zain Retherford (United States) 8-0 and Islam Dudaev (Albania) 11-0. In the semi-final, he stopped Ismail Musukaev (Hungary) in 2:27. The final saw a dominant Kiyooka open up a 10-1 lead at the break and although Amouzad managed a late takedown, it was nowhere near enough. The bronze medal bouts delivered late drama. Dudaev led Musukaev 12-8, only for Musukaev to tie and lead on criteria. With three seconds to go, Dudaev snatched bronze with a reversal to take bronze. Rivera also saw his lead vanish as Tulga tied the scores and led on criteria. A successful challenge saw Rivera given the decisive point for bronze.
🥇Kotaro Kiyooka 🇯🇵
🥈Rahman Amouzad 🇮🇷
🥉Sebastian Rivera 🇵🇷
🥉Islam Dudaev 🇦🇱
I got the correct final but the result the wrong way round. I mentioned Dudaev but Rivera was a bit of a surprise to me
Men’s Freestyle -74kg
Kyle Dake (United States) crusied through the top quarter with two dominant wins, while Frank Chamizo (Italy) was beaten by Younes Emami (Iran). Daichi Takatani (Japan) impressed with back-to-back 10-0 victories to advance to the semi-final. In that bout, he shocked Dake in a wild bout, overturning an early 4-3 deficit with two big series to seal a 20-12 victory. Victor Rassadin (Tajikstan) would set up a a semi-final against Razambek Zhamalov (Uzbekistan). En-route to the semi final he defeated Mahamedkhabib Kadzamihamedau (Belarus), Taljmuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia) and Chermen Valiev (Albania). Zhamalov built an 8-2 and defended stoutly to reach the final. The final was controversial, as Zhamalov secured a vice-grip neck chokehold that was ruled as a pin. Dake salvaged bronze with a dramatic comeback against Tsabolov, landing an impressive suplex in the dying seconds when trailing 4-3.
🥇Razambek Zhamalov 🇺🇿
🥈Daichi Takatani 🇯🇵
🥉Kyle Dake 🇺🇸
🥉Chermen Valiev 🇦🇱
I mentioned Takatani and Valiev as possible medalists. Zhamalov was not someone I really considered a threat.
Men’s Freestyle -86kg
David Brooks (United States) faced a tough start against the top seed Azamat Dauletbekov (Kazakhstan) but managed to get a 4-3 victory, with two key takedowns. He then beat Hayato Ishiguro (Japan) to make the semi-final, where he met Magomed Ramazanov (Bulgaria), fresh off a pin against Javrail Shapiev (Uzbekistan). Brooks led until the last ten seconds, but Ramazanov countered with a crotch lift to seal a 4-3 victory. Hassan Yadzani (Iran) advanced through to the final comfortably. In the semi-final, he defeated Myles Amine (San Marino) who had engaged in a thirty point quarter-final with Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan). In the final, Yazdani visibly struggled with an injury to his right arm and Ramazanov would take a 7-1 victory. Brooks dominated Shapiev, never looking in danger, to take bronze. Amine lost to the counter-wrestling of Dauren Kurugliev (Greece).
🥇Magomed Ramazanov 🇧🇬
🥈Hassan Yadzani 🇮🇷
🥉David Brooks 🇺🇸
🥉Dauren Kurugliev 🇬🇷
You had to feel for Yadzani in the final as he looked unable to perform to anywhere near his best.
Men’s Freestyle -97kg
This was the crowning of Akhmed Tazhudinov (Bahrain). His toughest test came in the opening round. He trailed Amir Ali Azarpira (Iran) 3-0 before rallying for a 4-3 victory. He crushed Alisher Yergali (Kazakhstan) 14-2 in the quarter-final. Against Kyle Snyder (United States), it was a cagey opening but Tazhudinov struck the first takedown to lead 2-1 at the break. He extended his lead to 6-1 after the break and although Snyder would score three late points, it was not enough. In the final, it only took him two minutes to get the victory against Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia), who had only conceded two points en route to the final.
🥇Akhmed Tazhudinov 🇧🇭
🥈Givi Matcharashvili 🇬🇪
🥉Amir Ali Azarpira 🇮🇷
🥉Magomedkhan Magomedov 🇦🇿
I called Azarpira the dangerous floater in the draw and so it proved. I mentioned Matcharashvili as well but didn’t pick him
Men’s Freestyle -125kg
Amir Hossein Zare (Iran) and Taha Akgul (Turkey) made their way through to the semi-final in the top half without conceding a point. The semi-final was far tighter. Zare struck first with a passivity point, but it would soon be returned. Zare took a second passivity point to win the match. On the other side of the draw, Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan) beat Monkhtoriin Lkhagvagerel (Mongolia) by superiority, before falling to Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). The Georgian won 7-0, reaching the final having conceded just two points. In the final, Petriashvili surged to a 12-1 lead and celebrated his victory only for it to be adjusted to a 10-1 lead on appeal. Zare would claw his way back to 10-9 but couldn’t get Petriashvili off of his legs in the dying seconds. Akgul claimed bronze against Aiaal Lazarev (Kyrgyzstan) after taking a 7-0 lead before the first break and holding firm. Both men announced their retirement post-match. Meshvildishvili rallied from behind to defeat Baran for the other bronze.
🥇Geno Petriashvili 🇬🇪
🥈Amir Hossein Zare 🇮🇷
🥉Taha Akgul 🇹🇷
🥉Giorgi Meshvildishvili 🇦🇿
Parris went out early, with a tough draw against Akgul. I didn’t want to go chalk, hence going against Petriashvili but knew he was more than strong enough to medal.
Women’s 50kg Freestyle
Another massive Olympic upset came in the round of 16 as Vinesh Phogat (India) handed Yui Susaki (Japan) her first international loss. Phogat started cautiously and was penalised for passivity. Trailing by two with seven seconds left, Phogat launched a threw and held Susaki to seal a stunning 3-2 victory. She continued her run with another late surge against Oksana Livach (Ukraine), scoring four points in the last 20 seconds. She outlasted Yusneylys Guzman (Cuba) with her stout defence. Thr story took a dramatic turn, as Phogat failed to make weight for the final the next day, disqualifying her from the tournament. Guzman advanced to face Sarah Hildebrandt (United States) in the final. Hildebrandt neutralised Guzman after scoring three points in the first half of the bout. It was the formula that got her to final, scoring early and holding firm, as she had against Otgonjargql Dolgorjav (Mongolia) and Ziqi Feng (China) en route to the final.
🥇Sarah Hildebrandt 🇺🇸
🥈Yusneylys Guzman 🇨🇺
🥉Yui Susaki 🇯🇵
🥉Feng Ziqi 🇨🇳
Did anyone pick Susaki to lose? Hildebrandt was the first name I left of the podium.
Women’s -53kg Freestyle
With one Japanese legend losing, another rose to the occasion. Akari Fujinama (Japan) extended her win streak to 137 matches, despite only being 20 years old. She only conceded two points throughout the tournament. In the final, she defeated Lucia Yepez (Ecuador), racking up takedowns until the bout was ended at 3:37. She had been handed a tough draw in the opening round against Dominique Parrish (United States) but Fujinama secured a pin after 2:05. She secured another victory by pin against Batkhuyagiin Khulan (Mongolia) despite trailing early. In the semi, it took four minutes to defeat Pang Qianyu (China). Yepez had impressed on her way to the final. She won by pin against Andreaa Ana (Ecuador) and superiority against Annika Wendle (Germany). Only Choe Hyo-gyong (North Korea) managed to scored in a 7-4 defeat. Hyo-gyong would show that to be no mean feat as in the repechage rounds she took 11-0 and 10-0 victories over Fujinama’s other fallen foes. Antim Panghal (India) suffered a shock early exit in the round of sixteen to Zeynep Yetgil (Turkey).
🥇Akari Fujinama 🇯🇵
🥈Lucia Yepez 🇪🇨
🥉Choe Hyo-gyong 🇰🇵
🥉Pang Qianyu 🇨🇳
I referenced Fujinama going through the tournament without dropping a point. She did not quite manage that but was incredibly impressive.
Women’s -57kg Freestyle
The early rounds went largely to form leading to big matchups in the quarter-final. Three out of four ended by pin-fall. Helen Maroulis (United States) built a 7-0 lead over Alina Hrushyna (Ukraine), holding on to win 7-4. The other winners were Tsugumi Sakurai (Japan), Kexin Hong (China) and Anastasia Nichita (Moldova). In the semi-finals, Maroulis jumped ahead 2-0, but Sakurai scored ten unanswered points. Hong led 7-0 in the other semi, but Nichita stepped over on a turn and scored a stunning pin to get the win from a perilous position. Hong rebounded to claim bronze in under two minutes whilst Maroulis needed only 24 seconds to score a pin. In the final, Sakurai took a 4-0 lead into the break. She would complete the victory by going 6-0 up and remaining airtight defensively against a tired Nichita.
🥇Tsugumi Sakurai 🇯🇵
🥈Anastasia Nichita 🇲🇩
🥉Kexin Hong 🇨🇳
🥉Helen Maroulis 🇺🇸
I mentioned the four medalists as part of the seven contenders. Unfortunately, I didn’t go for Maroulis or Hong.
Women’s -62kg Freestyle
Aisuluu Tynybekova (Kyrgyzstan) battled through the top quarter after facing some challenges. Kayla Miracle (United States) led 3-0 at the break but a step-out and a takedown put Tynybekova 5-3 ahead. Miracle appealed, followed by adding three more points. Tynybekova would get the win on criteria with Miracle the highest scorer to lose. In the semi-final, Tynybekova trailed Iryna Koliadenko (Ukraine) 2-0 at the break. As she closed the gap, Koliadenko produced a brilliant reversal in the final minute to win 9-2. On the other side of the draw, Grace Bullen (Norway) and Sakura Motoki (Japan) dominated, winning their opening two bouts inside the distance. Their semi final was close, 2-2 at halfway before Bullen surged to 7-2. An incredible reversal and pin for Motoki took her into the final. Motoki sealed gold by superiority with just over a minute remaining. Tynybekova staged a comeback from 6-0 down in the bronze-medal matchup against Purevdorjiin Orkhan (Mongolia) to take bronze, whilst Bullen won by pin in under a minute to win a bronze.
🥇Sakura Motoki 🇯🇵
🥈Iryna Koliadenko 🇺🇦
🥉Grace Bullen 🇳🇴
🥉Aisuluu Tynybekova 🇰🇬
I mentioned six names as likely medalists and the four come from there. Miracle was my one miss but given the draw I’d have picked against it.
Women’s -68kg
The draw produced some tough matchups and only two of the eight seeds went through to the quarter-finals. Amit Elor (United States) dominated number one seed Buse Tosun Cavusoglu (Turkey) 10-2. Eighteen year-old Pak Sol-gum (North Korea) beat Irina Ringaci (Moldova) 10-6, while Enkhsaikhan Delgermaa (Mongolia) was beaten 8-3 by Meerim Zhumanazarova (Kyrgyzstan). In the quarter-finals, Nisha Dahiya (India) led 8-1 with ninety seconds to go, only to suffer an injury to her right hand allowing Sol-gum to rally for a 10-8 win as Dahiya was unable to keep her off. Zhumunazarova upset Nonoka Ozaki (Japan). She surrendered a 6-0 lead at the break, eventually sealing victory with a late takedown. Elor made the final with back-to-back shutouts. In the other semi-final, Zhumanazarov would trail Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria) but came back to win 3-1. In the gold medal match, Elor struck fast, scoring three quick points and controlling the bout with relentless ties to secure the title.
🥇Amit Elor 🇺🇸
🥈Meerim Zhumanazarov 🇰🇬
🥉Nonoka Ozaki 🇯🇵
🥉Buse Tosun Cavusoglu 🇹🇷
I called this an open division but that Elor should win and she obliged. I mentioned Ozaki as a potential danger. Zhumanazarov was someone I overlooked
Women’s -76kg
Aiperi Medet Kyzy (Kyrgyzstan) battled through the top quarter, beating Reetika Hooda (India) in a quarter-final to set up a clash against Kennedy Blades (United States) in the semi-final after she had defeated Milaimy Marin (Cuba). Tatiana Renteria (Colombia) came through the third quarter. Yuka Kagami (Japan) reached the semi-final without conceding a point, including beating Yasemin Adar (Turkey) in the quarter-final. Blades edged Kyzy 8-6 in an enthralling semi-final. Kagami overturned a 2-0 deficit against Renteria scoring a reversal to win 4-2. The final was a tense affair as the pair looked for openings. It was 1-1 at halfway but Kagami scored a takedown to go 3-1 up. Blades continued to shoot but was unable to penetrate the defence of Kagami.
🥇Yuka Kagami 🇯🇵
🥈Kennedy Blades 🇺🇸
🥉Milaimys Marin 🇨🇺
🥉Tatiana Renteria 🇨🇴
Again, it would have helped if I got the American entrant correct. I stated I couldn’t be sure on the level of Kagami.
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