#OffTheMat

What makes Amir Yazdani Olympic wrestling's next big super star?

By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, Turkey (June 29) --- In a country that’s birthed some of wrestling’s biggest stars, Amir YAZDANI (IRI) is on the cusp of becoming a household name. He has the perfect mix of attack-first style of wrestling, a massive smile and boatloads of energy – on and off the mat – which makes the 21-year-old a perfect candidate to be wrestling’s next big thing.

In our latest #OffTheMat special, we sat down with Yazdani to talk about his introduction into wrestling and how having one of wrestling’s most-famous last names impacted his path into the sport. He also walked us through his breakout performance at the 2021 World Championships where he reached the world finals.

Furthermore, Yazdani discussed the difficulties that came along with handing Iran their 65kg berth to the Tokyo Olympic Games but falling short in Iran’s Olympic wrestle off and how that impacted him in moving up to 70kg. He also talked about his #PathToParis and how 74kg is the likely destination over the next few years.

#OffTheMat

#OffTheMat: Hildebrant says one of her best moves is unstoppable! What move was it?

By Eric Olanowski

ACAPULCO, Mexico (June 13) --- Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) went #OffTheMat to answer questions from her fans.

Hildebrant talked about where the Harry Potter sorting hat would put her, only using pens with caps and her inability to do a backflip. She also talked about what motivates her, her favorite wrestler and the biggest lesson she’s learned from wrestling.