Wrestling is one of the oldest and most traditional sports in Olympic history. The first modern Olympics held in Athens, Greece, included wrestling as a sport. Since then, it has been an integral part of every Summer Olympics.
In the upcoming Tokyo 2020 games, wrestling will be featured once again with both men’s and women’s categories. Wrestling matches are all about strength, agility and technique. Here are some of the highly anticipated bouts that fans can expect to see during this year’s competition.
Men’s Freestyle Wrestling:
57kg – This weight category features reigning world champion Zavur Uguev from Russia who won gold at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in 2019. He will face fierce competition from Japanese wrestler Yuki Takahashi who won bronze at the same event two years ago.
74kg – Two-time defending Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs from USA is back again to defend his title against formidable opponents such as Frank Chamizo from Italy who won silver at Rio Olympics 2016.
125kg – In this heavyweight category we have a massive showdown between Taha Akgul from Turkey (gold medalist at Rio Olympics 2016) and Geno Petriashvili from Georgia (gold medalist at Budapest World Championships). Both wrestlers have dominated their respective opponents over the last few years leading up to these games making for an exciting contest.
Women’s Freestyle Wrestling:
50kg – This category includes Sun Yanan of China who won gold in Rio Olympics 2016 and Pang Qianyu also representing China who took home silver at Budapest World Championships in 2018. They will go head-to-head against Mariya Stadnik representing Azerbaijan; she has been successful on multiple occasions winning medals since London Games 2012 but never a gold medal which she hopes to achieve this year.
68 kg- This mid-weight class includes reigning world champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock who represents the USA. She is considered the clear favorite to win gold in this category after her impressive performances in previous competitions.
76kg – This heavyweight category features Aline Focken from Germany, who won bronze at Budapest World Championships and has been training hard for these games. She will face off against Yasemin Adar from Turkey, who won gold at European Championships back in 2018.
Greco-Roman Wrestling:
77kg – This weight class includes Roman Vlasov from Russia, who is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist (London 2012 and Rio 2016). He will compete against Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, who won silver at the World Championships in Budapest just last year.
130kg – This heavyweight category includes Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez Nunez representing Cuba; he has dominated his opponents since Beijing Olympics winning three consecutive Olympic gold medals. His biggest competition comes from Riza Kayaalp of Turkey, who took home silver at the European Games back in 2015.
Wrestling is an intense and physically demanding sport that requires years of dedication and practice to master. The athletes competing at this level are some of the best wrestlers in the world with highly specialized skills honed over countless hours on the mat.
The excitement surrounding wrestling matches during every Olympics is unparalleled. Fans from around the world tune-in to witness these incredible athletes go head-to-head for a chance to take home a medal for their country. With so many talented competitors vying for glory, it’s impossible to predict what will happen on any given day during this year’s Tokyo games.
In conclusion, fans can expect nothing less than thrilling action packed bouts as they watch these wrestlers grapple it out on center stage during Tokyo Olympics 2020!