Wrestling

Wrestling enjoys huge popularity in Japan, and is one of the hottest tickets in town at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021.
A whopping 288 athletes will compete across three categories for 18 wrestling gold medals.
Here, we have a closer look at the athletes in contention for the

Tokyo 2020 | Olympic Games

wrestling information

Olympic wrestling at Tokyo 2020: Top five things to know

Taha Akgul has a big presence in Turkey, in every sense of the word.
Standing at 1.92m (6ft 4in) and weighing 125kg (276lb), he cuts a formidable figure. But it’s his exploits as a freestyle wrestler that have won him so much acclaim.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics he won

Taha AKGUL

Taha Akgul celebrates victory in the 125kg final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Five things you didn’t know about Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Taha Akgul

Freestyle wrestling Olympic champion Taha Akgul wants to re-write the record books again.
The 125kg grappler from Turkey won his nation's only gold medal at Rio 2016, and returned to a heroes welcome.
But while many athletes lose the desire to keep competing at the top after such an achievement,

Taha Akgul

Exclusive Q&A: Olympic champion Taha Akgul not taking holidays in bid to retain gold at Tokyo Games

Taha Akgul has defeated the biggest, and scariest of foes in wrestling.
The freestyle wrestler from Turkey threw 125kg+ men around the mat en route to Olympic gold at Rio 2016, but even he has had to accept defeat to the one opponent that can take out any sportsperson: injury.

UWW World Championships - Nur-Sultan

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Taha Akgul's hard road back: “First I have to beat the psychological trauma”

All the Olympic highlights from Turkey, set to the national anthem.

Rio 2016 | Olympic Games

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National anthem: The best of Turkey in Rio

Replay

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Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Chuluunbat JARGALSAIKHAN (MGL) by TF, 10-0

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Akgul vs Ghasemi

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Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Ibrahim SAIDAU (BLR) by TF, 11-0

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Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Levan BERIANIDZE (ARM), 8-1

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Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 86kg & 125kg | Rio 2016 Replays

Turkey's Taha Akgul takes down Iran's Komeil Nemat Ghasemi in the men's freestyle 125kg wrestling final.

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Akgul wins men's heavyweight wrestling gold

United States of America

Simone

Simone Biles - Olympics.com

Sweden

Armand

Armand Duplantis - Olympics.com

Mikaela

Mikaela SHIFFRIN

Ilia

Ilia Malinin - Olympics.com

Taha

The 2024 World Wrestling Championships in non-Olympic weight divisions, held in Tirana, Albania, are set for 28–31 October.
After an eight-year hiatus, this prestigious event returns with a dynamic roster of nearly 300 wrestlers competing across 12 weight classes in freestyle, women's wrestling, and Greco-Roman categories.
Although athletes from the

Wrestling | Olympic Qualifier | World Championships | Belgrade

CHIBA, JAPAN - AUGUST 04:  David Morris Taylor III of Team United States celebrates defeating Myles Nazem Amine of Team San Marino during the Men's Freestyle 86kg Quarter Final on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall on August 04, 2021 in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

David Morris Taylor III of Team United States celebrates

2024 Wrestling World Championships: All final results and medals – Full list

After taking a bronze medal at Rio 2016 and settling for silver at Tokyo 2020, Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili finally came out on top of a gold medal final to clinch the 125kg freestyle title at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 10 August.
A repeat of his loss in Tokyo,

Paris 2024 | Olympic Games

Geno Petriashvili of Team Georgia (blue) and Amir Hossein Zare of Team Islamic Republic of Iran (red) compete during the men's freestyle 125kg final

Geno Petriashvili of Team Georgia (blue) and Amir Hossein Zare of Team Islamic Republic of Iran (red)

Wrestling: Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili takes gold in 125kg freestyle

The 2023 World Wrestling Championships has kicked off in Belgrade, Serbia.
Between 16-24 September world titles will be won in all three wrestling divisions: men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling, and Greco-Roman.
A whopping 90 Olympic Games Paris 2024 quotas are on offer at the event.
Being less than a year away

David Taylor (USA) will be hoping to defend his world title at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

2023 Wrestling World Championships: All final results and medals – Full list

Belgrade hosts the 2023 World Wrestling Championships from 16-24 September with men's freestyle action taking place over the first four days, with action streamed live on Olympic Channel.
Five out of the six gold medallists from Tokyo 2020 in 2021 will be competing, with only 125kg Olympic champion Gable Steveson

Chase Marsteller (L) celebrates winning his deciding bout against Jordan Burroughs at the Final X U.S. World Championship trials

2023 Wrestling World Championships: Five fresh faces to look out for in men's freestyle

Olympic gold medallists Kyle Snyder, Jordan Burroughs, and Hassan Yazdani have all been selected as freestyle top seeds for the 2022 Wrestling World Championships.
But it won’t be plain sailing for the golden trio, who will have to beat some star-studded fields in Belgrade, Serbia, from 10-18 September.
Also keep

Wrestling | World Championships | Belgrade

2022 Wrestling World Championships

Everything you need to know about the 2022 Wrestling World Championships: Preview, schedule, and athletes to watch

Hassan Yazdani is the 86kg freestyle wrestling world champion once more after a sensational 6-2 win in the 86kg final over Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor on Sunday 3 October in Oslo, Norway.
It was a box-office clash between reigning Olympic champ Taylor and Rio 2016 Olympic champ Yazdani.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 19:  Hassan Aliazam Yazdanicharati of the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates after defeating Aniuar Geduev of Russia during the Men's 74kg Gold Medal Wrestling match on Day 14 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 2 on August 19, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Hassan Aliazam Yazdanicharati of the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates after defeating Aniuar Geduev of Russia during the Men's 74kg Gold Medal Wrestling match on Day 14 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 2 on August 19, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Hassan Yazdani defeats David Taylor in battle of Olympic champions at wrestling world championships

There will be no fewer than four Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallists on show at the 2021 Wrestling World Championships in Oslo, Norway, including Abdulrashid Sadulaev, David Taylor, Mohammadreza Geraei and Tamyra Mensah-Stock.
The event runs from October 2-10, and those Olympic champs will be in good company too. While

World Championships - Oslo

CHIBA, JAPAN - AUGUST 03:  Tamyra Mariama Mensah-Stock of Team United States celebrates defeating Blessing Oborududu of Team Nigeria during the Women's Freestyle 68kg Gold Medal Match on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall on August 03, 2021 in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Mensah

Everything you need to know about the star-studded 2021 Wrestling World Championships: Preview, schedule and athletes to watch

United States’ Gable Steveson has lived up to his famous namesake by winning an Olympic gold medal in wrestling. In a thrilling final the Pan-American champion defeated Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili 10-8 in the last seconds of the men’s wrestling freestyle 125kg at Tokyo 2020.
The 21-year-old, who is one of

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Gable Steveson lives up to his namesake by winning men’s wrestling’s freestyle 125kg

Taha Akgul answered his critics with a dominant victory at the European Championships on Wednesday (21 April).
The reigning Olympic champion beat Russia’s Sergei Kozyrev 9-2 in the 125kg final to seal his eighth continental wrestling title.
Akgul suffered a serious shoulder injury in 2019 that kept him out of

2016 Rio Olympics - Wrestling - Victory Ceremony - Men's Freestyle 125 kg Victory Ceremony - Carioca Arena 2 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 20/08/2016. Taha Akgul (TUR) of Turkey salutes. REUTERS/Toru Hanai FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Refreshed Taha Akgul seals eighth continental title at European Championships

Europe’s wrestling stars Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Taha Akgul, Frank Chamizo, Mariya Stadnik, Alla Cherkasova, Natalia Vorobeva have one thing in common. They have already booked their spot for the Tokyo Olympics. But who will make it to Tokyo at the European qualifiers this weekend in Budapest?

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Six European stars, one goal: Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games

Paris 2024

Tokyo 2020

Rio 2016

London 2012

The Men's 125kg Freestyle Wrestling Finals were held on 10/08/2024 at Champs de Mars Arena, Paris. The Bronze medals were awarded to Taha Akgul (TUR) and Giorgi Meshvildishvili (AZE). Silver was won by Amir Hossein Zare (IRI) and the Gold Medal belonged to Geno Petriashvili (GEO) with a 10:9 Victory by Points.

Highlights

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Men's 125kg Finals | Freestyle Wrestling | Olympic Games Paris 2024

This session includes the Men's Freestyle 86kg Repechage and Freestyle 125kg 1/8 Finals and 1/4 Finals.

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Mat C: Men's Freestyle - Day 14 - Morning | Wrestling | Olympic Games Paris 2024

Watch Taha AKGUL (TUR) win the bronze medal of the Men's Freestyle 125kg at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Taha AKGUL

Featured

Olympic wrestling at Tokyo 2020: Top five things to know

Five things you didn’t know about Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Taha Akgul

Exclusive Q&A: Olympic champion Taha Akgul not taking holidays in bid to retain gold at Tokyo Games

Taha AKGUL
Replays

Olympic Results

Taha AKGUL

Featured

Olympic wrestling at Tokyo 2020: Top five things to know

Five things you didn’t know about Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Taha Akgul

Exclusive Q&A: Olympic champion Taha Akgul not taking holidays in bid to retain gold at Tokyo Games

Taha AKGUL Replays

Olympic Results

Taha AKGUL
Replays