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

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 many Olympic sports have seen athletes take a well-deserved break post Tokyo 2020, there will be an impressive 25 Olympic wrestling medallists from Japan on show.

The action will be fast and furious, with athletes looking to underline their dominance, settle old scores, and prove their worth in equal measure.

There is sure to be some unearthing of new talent too, with athletes keen to put their best foot forward ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which are just three years away.

Below, we take a look at the schedule, and in-depth analysis of the stars to look out for, and where fans can watch the event from around the world.

Schedule

Men’s freestyle: 2-5 October

Women’s freestyle: 4-7 October

Greco-Roman: 7-10 October

For a full breakdown of the weight categories, click here.

Stars to Watch

The headline stars of #WrestleOslo will be Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallists Abdulrashid Sadulaev and David Taylor (both men’s freestyle), Mohammadreza Geraei (Greco-Roman) and Tamyra Mensah-Stock (women’s freestyle).

But victory will be anything but routine for the golden quartet. Sadulaev will likely have to get past ex-Olympic champ Kyle Snyder, with the American chasing his fifth Olympic title in the 97kg bracket and undoubtedly seeking to avenge his Tokyo 2020 final defeat to ‘The Russian Tank’.

There could be an equally epic showdown in the men’s 86kg division, where ‘Magic Man’ Taylor shares the bracket with another beaten Tokyo finalist and former Olympic champion in ‘Fearless’ Hassan Yazdani.

Mensah-Stock, meanwhile, will wrestle alongside Olympic silver medallist Blessing Oborududu in the women’s 68kg.

Also keep an eye out for previous Olympic champs Taha Akgul (men’s free 125kg), Helen Maroulis (women’s 57kg), and Jordan Burroughs (men’s free 79kg) - no doubt keen to prove that they still belong at the top.

Elsewhere, multiple world champions Kyle Dake (men’s free 74kg), Geno Petriashvili (men’s 125kg) and Adeline Gray (women’s 76kg) will be quietly confident of adding to their impressive resumes.

There will be four other Olympic medallists taking part in the Greco-Roman competition alongside Geraei, including Rafig Huseynov (82kg), Zurabi Datunashvili (87kg), Mohammadhadi Saravi (97kg) and Iakobi Kajaia (130kg).

For a full list of the athletes taking part at the 2021 Wrestling World Championships, click here.

Where to Watch (US, India, UK)

Stream all the action live on Olympic Channel here.

(Nb. This live stream is geo-blocked in Armenia, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Belarus, Japan, Georgia, India, Russia, Norway, Ukraine, Mexico, USA, and China.)

US: The 2021 Wrestling World Championships will be streamed on NBC.

India: Viewers in India and the subcontinent can follow the action on the Sony Sports network, using the SonyLIV website and app, while Jio users can watch the action on the Jio TV app.

Outside of these territories, fans can watch the action from Oslo through the United World Wrestling YouTube channel here.