Top Stories of the Decade

Russian Men, Japanese Women Dominate the Decade

Friday, December 27, 2019 - 14:39 By Ken Marantz

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December __ ) -- At this year's World Championships in Nur-Sultan, both Kyrgyzstan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea came away with their first-ever world gold medals in women's wrestling. France earned its first medal of any kind in freestyle with a bronze. And the tiny enclave of San Marino, while not winning a medal, qualified a wrestler for the Olympics for the first time.

While the family of champion-producing and medal-winning nations continues to expand, there are still a select number of countries that remain dominant. In looking at the decade from 2010 to 2019, Russia in both freestyle and Greco-Roman and Japan's women wrestlers soared high above all others.

The numbers speak for themselves, and show just how much of a gap there was during the 10-year span.

In freestyle during that period, Russia captured a total of 25 gold medals at the worlds, more than double the 12 of the nearest competitor, the United States. By comparison, Georgia was next highest with six golds, while Iran and Azerbaijan had five each.

The Russians also had the most silvers (9) and bronzes (18) for an overall total of 52. Iran was next highest with 29 (6 gold-9 silver-14 bronze), followed by the United States with 26 (12-3-11), Georgia with 21 (6-3-12) and Azerbaijan with 20 (5-7-8).

As medal tallies and team standings go hand-in-hand, it is no surprise that Russia took home six of the eight team titles up for grabs. Only runner-up finishes to Iran in 2013 and the United States in 2017--the latter by a one-point difference--denied Russia a perfect record.

The Olympics, with the reduced number of weight classes, narrowed the gap, but Russia still was either at or among the top of the heap, depending on how one crunches the numbers. Russia compiled three golds and seven medals overall at London 2012 and Rio 2016; Azerbaijan had more medals overall with eight, but one less gold with two. The United States tied Russia with three golds, to which it added two bronzes. Both Iran and Georgia had one gold and six medals overall.

Still only 23, Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) made a large contribution to the Russian tally. Winning the gold at 97kg in Nur-Sultan gave the "Russian Tank" his fourth world title dating back to 2014, adding to his gold from Rio 2016 and a world silver from 2018.

Sadulaev hails from the wrestling hot spot of Dagestan, the mountainous republic in southwestern Russia on the Caspian Sea that has produced an inordinate amount of global champions, and supplies the national team with an unending line of top talent. At Rio 2016, there were six medalists in wrestling from that area alone.

"Wrestling is in our blood," Sadulaev said in an interview with the Olympic Channel. "That's why the Dagestanis are the best in the world."

The team standings at the World Championships determine the field for the ensuing World Cup, but while that team tournament can produce exciting matches, it doesn't always accurately reflect the strength of the nations, as rosters are often filled with second-string talent. As such, Russia won the freestyle World Cup just three times, while Iran had a run of six straight titles from 2012 to 2017. The United States won its lone title as host in 2018.

Roman VLASOV (RUS) celebrates after winning his second Olympic title. (Photo: Tony Rotundo) 

In Greco, Russia was only slightly less dominant, heading the pack that saw the spoils more widespread. Over the decade, Russia claimed 14 world golds and 37 medals overall (9 silvers, 14 bronzes), well ahead of the closest competitor, Turkey, which accumulated eight golds and 26 medals in total. Roman VLASOV (RUS)  won two world and two Olympic golds at 74-75kg during the span, while Musa EVLOEV (RUS) chipped in with two golds at 97kg.

Russia took the team title every year except 2014, when it was edged by Iran, which piled up six golds and 19 medals overall in the decade. Armenia also put on a strong showing with 16 overall medals (5-4-7), while Azerbaijan and Hungary had identical results in claiming 17 medals each (4-4-9).

In the two Olympics, Russia captured four golds and eight medals overall, which Cuba and Iran had three golds apiece. For what it's worth, Russia won the World Cup twice, the same number as Azerbaijan, while Iran took home the trophy four times, including three in a row from 2010 to 2012.

Saori YOSHIDA (JPN) celebrates after winning the 2015 world title in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo: Gabor Martin)

When it comes to women's wrestling, Japan got the jump on the rest of the world by putting resources into the sport during its infancy in the late 1980s, and everyone has been trying to catch up since. Adding it to the Olympic program at Athens 2004 provided incentive to the other nations to get in gear, but also served to motivate the Japanese even more.

From 2010 to 2019, Japan captured a whopping 26 gold medals at the World Championships, over 2 1/2 times that of its nearest rival, the United States, which had 10. It also represents more than one-third of the golds available (74). The golds were won by 20 different wrestlers, including Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), who won the last of her 13 world titles in 2015, the same year that Kaori ICHO (JPN) added her 10th and last world gold.

Japan also pocketed nine silvers (the most) and 12 bronzes for a total haul of 48 medals. The U.S. had the next biggest with 28 (10-6-12), while China and Ukraine each earned six golds, and Mongolia, Canada and Russia had four apiece. It was also a Bronze Age for the Chinese, who had 18 third-place finishes.

At the Olympics, the Japanese were in another stratosphere. Of the 10 gold medals awarded (four in London, six in Rio), seven were taken back to the Land of the Rising Sun, including two by Icho. Japan also had one silver medalist--the result of Yoshida's stunning loss to Helen MAROULIS (USA) at 53kg in Rio.

After finishing behind China in three of the first four World Cups of the decade, Japan started fielding stronger teams and last month won its fifth straight title. Three of the five wins came as host, including the most recent in Narita in November.

Like Dagestan for the Russians, there is a hotbed of wrestling in Japan that seems to churn out an inexhaustible flow of women wrestlers ready to challenge the upper echelon and make their own marks. It is not so much a place as an institution, Shigakkan University in central Japan and its affiliated high school.

Yoshida, Icho, Kawai and fellow Rio 2016 champion Sara DOSHO (JPN) are among the countless medal-winning wrestlers produced by Shigakkan, which was formerly known as Chukyo Women's University. One recent notable exception is two-time world champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN), who opted for Tokyo's Waseda University

While success in the age-group divisions does not always translate on the senior level, the numbers put up by the Japanese juggernaut over the decade have been nothing short of mind-numbing: 45 golds in the world juniors, 48 in the cadets, and 18 in the U-23, which has only been held since 2017.

Haruna OKUNO (JPN), as one of Japan's seven gold medalists at this year's world U-23, also became the lone wrestler to complete a "grand slam" of cadet, junior, U-23 and senior titles.

Top Stories of the Decade

Snyderlaev: Most Captivating Rivalry of the Decade Takes Center Stage

Sunday, December 22, 2019 - 21:13 By Ken Marantz

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 23) -- It is the wresting version of "When Worlds Collide."

Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) and Kyle SNYDER (USA), born just six months apart, had been on parallel tracks throughout their careers, both winning senior world freestyle titles in 2015 and an Olympic gold at Rio 2016, all before their 21st birthdays.

Then Sadulaev decided it was time to give himself a more formidable challenge, and he moved up a weight class to 97kg to face Snyder at the Paris 2017 World Championships. It was immediately labeled "The Match of the Century," and as an added bonus, the team championship was on the line as well.

The rivalry dubbed "Snyderlaev" that started that day in the French capital between the two brawny stars mesmerized the wrestling world, as fans marveled at the speed and athleticism of the two behemoths at such a heavy weight.

The gold went to Snyder in an absolute thriller, with the American scoring the winning points of a 6-5 decision in the final 30 seconds. A year later in Budapest, it would be the Russian who would come out on top, ending the clash with an innovative fall in just 70 seconds.

A third and highly anticipated "Snyderlaev III" at this year's worlds in Nur-Sultan never materialized, as London 2012 Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) crashed the party by beating Snyder in the semifinals. Sadulaev then defeated Sharifov in the final for his fourth world title.

"In our weight category, there are so many wrestlers with many titles," Sadulaev said. "Even in the final, I met an Olympic champion."

Asked if he regretted not getting to face Snyder for the gold, Sadulaev replied, "No, because the most important final is still waiting for us, the Olympic Games."

Not to take anything away from Sharifov, but a "Snyderlaev" showdown at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to break their tie would not go unappreciated.

Sadulaev, from the wrestling hotbed of Dagestan in southwestern Russia on the Caspian Sea (Sharifov is also a native of the republic), started his international career with back-to-back world cadet golds in 2012 and 2013. A few months after the latter, he was defeated at the Golden Grand Prix in Baku--he would not lose again until some four years and 75 matches later, in the Paris clash with Snyder.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Snyder was having similar success growing up in the state of Maryland. A world junior champion in 2013 and bronze medalist in 2014, he won the gold in his senior world debut in 2015, making him, at 19, the youngest American world champion in history. A year later, he became the nation's youngest Olympic champion at Rio 2016.  Meanwhile, he was also attending Ohio State University, where he captured three straight NCAA titles from 2016 to 2018.

In the Paris final, the action got started early, as Sadulaev scored a takedown in the first 15 seconds with a show of nimbleness and agility. With Sadulaev on his knees and Snyder sprawling, the Russian raised up to get Snyder off his feet, then slipped to the side and around to the back for the 2 points.

Snyder cut the lead to one with a step-out at :44, but Sadulaev responded with a step-out his own to go up 3-1 a little over a minute into the match. In the final 30 seconds of the first period, Snyder used a snapdown to spin behind to make it 3-3.

In the second period, Sadulaev regained the lead with a low single for a takedown, but with 40 seconds left, Snyder cut the gap to 5-4 when a double-leg attack resulted in a step-out. As the clock started winding down, Snyder countered a tackle attempt and got behind with :34 left for the decisive points.

A year later and a year wiser in Budapest, Sadulaev kept his distance to avoid Snyder's powerful snapdown. The Russian shot for a single leg and got a firm hold on Snyder's right leg. As Snyder sprawled, Sadulaev locked up his left arm, then executed a barrel roll that sent Snyder flopping to his back. He held him down with his back on Snyder's chest and both arms locked up, before flipping onto his front and finishing off the fall at 1:10.

"Everybody knows Sadulaev is a very talented wrestler," Snyder said. "He hit me with a good move and it worked out well for him tonight."

The two share something is common beyond their wrestling acumen--they are both deeply religious, Sadulaev as a Muslim and Snyder as a Christian.

After losing to Sadualev in Budapest, Snyder was asked how the loss defined him.

"Wins or losses don't define me," he said. "I mean, I love wrestling, it's a big part of my life, but I'm not defined by the sport. I'm defined by my faith in Jesus. So no matter what happens to me on the mat, nothing really changes."