Artur Naifonov: from Beslan school siege survivor to Olympic medallist

Artur Naifonov was one of eight medallists for ROC in wrestling at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

After going down to Iran's Rio 2016 gold medallist Hassan Yazdani in the semi-finals, the 24-year-old dominated Uzbekistan's Javrail Shapiev to take bronze in the men's freestyle 86kg class.

For Naifonov, wrestling is more than merely a sport.

He hails from the Russian republic of North Ossetia-Alania and spent his formative years in Beslan.

That town has become synonymous with the school siege which took place in 2004 where Naifonov and close members of his family were taken hostage.

The tragedy of Beslan

For seven-year-old Naifonov, 1 September 2004 was his first day at School Number One.

That day, Chechen armed terrorists occupied the building and took over 1100 people - children, their parents and school staff - hostage.

When Russian security forces stormed the school to bring the siege to an end after three days, 334 people were killed with more than half of them children.

Naifonov and his sister suffered shrapnel wounds, but their mother died in the crossfire.

Almost seventeen years later, Naifonov is one of the best wrestlers in the world.

His family in Beslan watched him battle for bronze with Russian channel Rossiya1 in attendance.

The video shows a room charged with support and excitement, as his relatives, friends and neighbours all cheer for their local hero with a black-and-white photo of his late mother on a shelf.

Naifonov's sister Sabina said, "He doesn’t bring up the memories of the event. He is very strong."

Naifonov would not be drawn on the horrors of 2004 when he spoke to Olympics.com.

He said, "I never talk about it and I’ve never mentioned it to anyone. On the contrary, I’d like to forget everything.”

As he writes a new chapter in his life with his successful Olympic debut, the wrestler says he has no plans to take a long break and intends to be back on the mat in less than two weeks,

“I’ll be back in the gym as soon as possible. Before I return to training, I want to work on my injury recovery to be ready for the next step."

Naifonov also shared his passion about the sport,

"I love wresting as it gives people opportunities while preserving your health. It shows youngsters the right path. Children look up to you and want to reach the same heights. The most important thing is to be a good example for the younger generation.”

The people of North Ossetia-Alania are also welcoming back a gold medallist from Tokyo 2020.

Naifonov's team-mate Zaurbek Sidakov, who comes from the small village of Zilga just outside Beslan, added Olympic gold to his two world titles at 74kg.

Speaking to sports.ru after his Tokyo gold, Sidakov said that his parents wouldn’t let him take the bus to wrestling training in Beslan after the attack as they were afraid for his safety. Instead, he had to walk.

After his 2019 world title success in Budapest, Zidakov dedicated his triumph to "the children who died" in the Beslan terror attack.

He said, "I am from there, I was training there. It touched all of us, and we were truly saddened. I gave myself this promise back then.”

With three years until Paris 2024, Naifonov will be looking to match Sidakov’s gold from Tokyo.

And Naifonov is already focusing on that next goal.

"Of course, the bronze medal is a good result. But we aimed for gold, so I am a bit upset. I am thankful to my coaches and relatives for this medal."