Soslan Ramonov is all set to make his comeback to vie for the Olympic slot in the Russian team. The Olympic champion has not yet decided in which category he will compete but it is likely he will eye for a spot in the 65kg freestyle weight category, according to his personal training Anatol Margiev. “He has recovered after a back injury and is now training in Vladikavkaz. His training is going in full swing and he is ready to make his comeback as soon as possible,” he said, reported Wrestling Russia.
The world champion will participate at the October-scheduled Russian championships which will be his pass into the Olympic team. “Of course, he will play at the Russian Championships. We will consult the head coach of the Russian freestyle team (Dzambolat Tedeev) about the weight category. If the 2019 world championship results are not taken into account then he will compete in 65 kg otherwise he will move up in division”.
Talking about Ramonov’s goals, his coach added, “Like all other wrestlers, he has just one task now — to get to the world championships in Serbia and then the Tokyo Olympics”. He will need to win the Russian championship to confirm his place in the team. 65kg weight category is where India’s Bajrang Punia competes in and if Ramonov manages to win the nationals it is likely the Indian and Russian wrestlers meet early in competition at the Tokyo Olympics given their rankings. While Bajrang is currently placed at No.2, Ramonov is ranked low as he did not compete in any major competition in past two years.
Trouble for Gadhzimurad Rashidov?
Until the back injury in 2018, Ramonov dominated the middle-lightweight category in Russia. The mercurial wrestler was a force to reckon with, but the injury forced him out of the competition. His fall was young Gadhzimurad Rashidov’s rise.
The 24-year-old went on to multiple gold medals including the world champion title in 2019 and securing a quota for Russia in 65kg weight category. But in order to confirm his position in the Russian team, Rashidov now needs to win the national championship. His biggest rival would be Ramonov since the latter has now announced his comeback.
The Russian championship is scheduled for October 9 to 11 in Vladikavkaz.