With wrestling currently on hold along with the rest of world sports and looking for a distraction, I started to wonder about the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed for a year. Would that have any affect on the records for youngest- and oldest-ever Olympic champions in history each of the three styles?
What put that subject into my head was a story I had read on an American media website. In the report, it speculated that the Tokyo Games might produce the oldest gold medalist in Olympic wrestling history. But what struck me most was that the information cited didn’t sound right to me. The ages seemed off.
Bulgaria, Hungary to resume wrestling training with certain precautionary measures
So, with perhaps a bit too much time on my hands, I set out to confirm my suspicions and researched the ages of every Olympic wrestling gold medalist in history. The results were quite fascinating, and enabled me to come up with top 15 lists for both ends of the age spectrum in all three styles. Today I will start with freestyle.
First-Ever Teen Grabs a Gold
There have been 198 gold medals awarded in freestyle wrestling in Olympic history since wrestling first appeared at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. The champions have been mostly in their 20s, with a fair number in their 30s. But there has been the rare teenager, and the even rarer 40-something to make it to the top step of the podium.
The youngest in history in freestyle has been Saban TRSTENA (YUG), who may have competed for a country that no longer exists but left his name in the record books when he won the 52kg gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics at the tender age of 19 years 7 months 9 days.
Trstena had gone into the Los Angeles Games riding high from a victory in the final of that year’s European Championships over reigning world champion Valentin JORDANOV (BUL), who has his own place in wrestling history (more on that later). Trstena’s triumph in L.A. made him the first teenager in Olympic history in either style to win a gold.
En route to the gold, Trstena knocked off Yuji TAKADA (JPN), the 1976 gold medalist who was unable to defend his title at the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of the U.S.-led boycott. Takada, a four-time world champion, is now executive director of the Japan Wrestling Federation. Trstena’s connection with Japan, however, was not finished–at the Seoul Olympics four years later, he would lose in the final to Mitsuru SATO (JPN).
One one other teenager has ever won an Olympic crown. Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) was a little more than one month shy of his 20th birthday when he captured the 60kg gold at the 2012 London Olympics. While young, he was not unknown going into London, having won the world junior gold the previous year and the European senior title five months before the Olympics. In the third round in London, he eked out a 2-0 (1-0, 2-2) win over 2008 silver medalist Kenichi YUMOTO (JPN).
Four years later, Asgarov was denied a second straight gold at the 2016 Rio Games when he lost in the 65kg final to Soslan RAMONOV (RUS). After falling out of the spotlight following that defeat, local media has reported he will aim to qualify for Tokyo at 74kg.
Looking at the other end of the timeline, it had been reported that Jordanov became the oldest freestyle champion in Olympic history when he won the 52kg gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at a spry 36 years 6 months 7 days. But this was a mistake. On the day Arsen MEKOKISHVILI (URS) won the over-87kg gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, the Soviet wrestler was 40 years 3 months 11 days. In fact, Jordanov is third on the all-time list.
It is worth noting that the rules have changed regarding weigh-ins, which could affect the performance of older wrestlers. Having just a single weigh-in, on the first day of competition, might be to a veteran’s advantage, as they might have more trouble with weight control.
At Olympics that had weigh-ins over a span of two or more days, Sergei BELOGLAZOV (URS) takes the honor as oldest-ever champion by winning the 57kg gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics 14 days after his 32nd birthday. Limiting it further to Games which had multiple weigh-ins on the mornings of competition days, Mirian ZALKALAMANIDZE (URS) was the oldest, having been 29 years 7 months 8 days at the time of his victory at 52kg at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
As world wrestling has recently returned to the latter system, it will make a gold-medal performance by a 30-something wrestler even more noteworthy. One candidate might be Yowlys BONNE RODRIGUEZ (CUB), who won the 2018 world title in Budapest at 61kg at the age of 34 years 11 months 9 days, although it is not certain he will be on the team to Tokyo.
Looking at the Top 15 lists, one wrestler makes both. Bouvaisa SAITIEV (RUS) occupies the No. 13 spot among youngest-ever with his 1996 Atlanta gold, and ranks 11th among the oldest in history after striking gold again 12 years later in Beijing.
TOP 15 YOUNGEST OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS (FREESTYLE) | ||||
Name | Age | Olympics | Wt. | Date of birth |
Saban TRSTENA (YUG) | 19 years 7 months 9 days | 1984 Los Angeles | 52kg | 1/1/1965 |
Togrul ASGAROV (AZE) | 19 years 10 months 25 days | 2012 London | 60kg | 9/17/1992 |
Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS) | 20 years 3 months 11 days | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 86kg | 5/9/1996 |
Sanasar OGANESYAN (URS) | 20 years 5 months 24 days | 1980 Moscow | 90kg | 2/5/1960 |
Mavlet BATIROV (RUS) | 20 years 8 months 16 days | 2004 Athens | 55kg | 12/12/1983 |
Magomedgasan ABUSHEV (URS) | 20 years 8 months 19 days | 1980 Moscow | 62kg | 11/10/1959 |
Kyle SNYDER (USA) | 20 years 9 months 1 day | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 97kg | 11/20/1995 |
Henry CEJUDO (USA) | 20 years 11 months 17 days | 2008 Beijing | 55kg | 9/2/1987 |
Il KIM (PRK) | 21 years 0 months 11 days | 1992 Barcelona | 48kg | 7/25/1971 |
Bakhtiar AKMEDOV (RUS) | 21 years 0 months 16 days | 2008 Beijing | 120kg | 8/5/1987 |
George DE RELWYSKOW (GBR) | 21 years 1 month 6 days | 1908 London | 66.6kg | 1887/06/18 |
Mitsuo IKEDA (JPN) | 21 years 1 month 17 days | 1956 Melbourne | 73kg | 10/14/1935 |
Bouvaisa SAITIEV (RUS) | 21 years 0 months 11 days | 1996 Atlanta | 74kg | 3/11/1975 |
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) | 21 years 7 months 24 days | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 74kg | 12/26/1994 |
Khadshimourad GATSALOV (RUS) | 21 years 7 months 24 days | 2004 Athens | 96kg | 12/11/1982 |
TOP 15 OLDEST OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS (FREESTYLE) | ||||
Name | Age | Olympics | Wt. | Date of birth |
Arsen MEKOKISHVILI (URS) | 40 years 3 months 11 days | 1952 Helsinki | +87kg | 4/12/1912 |
Gyula BOBIS (HUN) | 38 years 9 months 24 days | 1948 London | +87kg | 10/7/1909 |
Valentin JORDANOV (BUL) | 36 years 6 months 7 days | 1996 Atlanta | 52kg | 1960/01/26 |
Kaarlo MAEKINEN (FIN) | 36 years 2 months 18 days | 1928 Amsterdam | 56kg | 1892/05/14 |
*Yasar DOGU (TUR) | 35 years 6 months 30 days | 1948 London | 73kg | 1/1/1913 |
Hermann GEHRI (SUI) | 34 years 11 months 18 days | 1924 Paris | 72kg | 1889/07/26 |
Alexander MEDVED (URS) | 34 years 11 months 15 days | 1972 Munich | +100kg | 9/16/1937 |
Mahmut ATALAY (TUR) | 34 years 6 months 20 days | 1968 Mexico City | 78kg | 3/30/1934 |
Kustaa PIHLAJAMAEKI (FIN) | 34 years 3 months 28 days | 1936 Berlin | 61kg | 4/7/1902 |
Johan RICHTHOFF (SWE) | 34 years 3 months 3 days | 1932 Los Angeles | +87kg | 1898/04/30 |
Bouvaisa SAITIEV (RUS) | 33 years 5 months 9 days | 2008 Beijing | 74kg | 3/11/1975 |
Artur TAIMAZOV (UZB) | 33 years 0 months 22 days | 2012 London | 120kg | 7/20/1979 |
Kaarlo Johan ANTTILA (FIN) | 32 years 11 months 28 days | 1920 Antwerp | 67.5kg | 1887/08/30 |
Emile POILVE (FRA) | 32 years 10 months 16 days | 1936 Berlin | 79kg | 9/19/1903 |
Olle ANDERBERG (SWE) | 32 years 10 months 10 days | 1952 Helsinki | 67kg | 9/13/1919 |