Silver Medal for Kyle Dake at Wrestling Worlds Shocking Upsets for Snyder and Sadulayev

American wrestler Kyle Dake earned a silver medal at the globe wrestling championship soon after losing to Russian wrestler Zaurbek Sidakov in the 74kg freestyle final. This loss ended Dake’s streak of 4 consecutive globe titles. Dake, aged 32, had previously won gold at the globe championships in 2020 and 2021, following his bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. On top of that, Dake had also won globe titles at the 79kg weight category in 2018 and 2019, while this weight category is not an Olympic weight. On the other hand, Sidakov, aged 27, had won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and globe titles in 2018 and 2019 in the 74kg weight category. Due to a ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus following the war in Ukraine, Sidakov was unable to compete at final year’s globe championship.

In a different occasion, each American wrestler Kyle Snyder and Russian wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulayev suffered losses just before reaching the final in the 97kg weight category. Snyder, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and is the reigning globe champion, was defeated 11- by Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Sadulayev, aged 27, sustained an injury throughout his semi-final match against Tazhudinov, eventually losing 9-two. This defeat marked Sadulayev’s second-ever loss in a worldwide championship, with his prior loss occurring in the 2017 Worlds final against Snyder. Sadulayev had accomplished exceptional results in the 86kg and 97kg weight categories, winning Olympic or globe titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021.

Akhmed Tazhudinov, who defeated each Snyder and Sadulayev, is a 20-year-old wrestler from Bahrain participating in his initial senior globe championship. Reports indicate that Tazhudinov, like Sadulayev, hails from Dagestan and has been instruction at a center named soon after Sadulayev. Moreover, they also share a coach, according to United Planet Wrestling (UWW). It is worth mentioning that some wrestlers from Russia and Belarus had been permitted to participate in the championship as person neutral athletes, following vetting procedures. Nonetheless, other folks had been deemed ineligible due to their active help of the ongoing war or confirmed membership in military or national safety agencies.

In addition to these events, American wrestler Zahid Valencia secured a bronze medal in his globe championship debut at the 92kg weight category. Because 92kg is not an Olympic weight, it is anticipated that Valencia will move up to the 97kg weight category or down to the 86kg weight category for the upcoming Olympic Trials in April. The globe championships will continue on Tuesday with U.S. Olympian Jacarra Winchester competing in the 55kg final. It should really be noted that Winchester had previously won a globe championship title in the 55kg weight category, which is not incorporated in the Olympic plan.