Wrestling as a sport has been part of the Olympics since ancient times. Be it the mythical figure Hercules or the modern time “experiment” Aleksandr Karelin, it has produced many greats from various parts of the world. But never has the race for wrestling dominance been so intense as between the US’ Kyle Snyder and Sadulaev. The duo has been at the helm of the sport for long enough to be termed as one of the greatest of all times. But the fact that they both wrestle in the 97kg freestyle has also engaged them into some of the best wrestling battles.
Sadulaev: The Russian Tank
The Russian wrestler has been regarded as the best freestyle wrestler in the world. He came into the spotlight in 2014 after winning the 86kg world championships at the tender age of 18. His agility and speed despite muscle mass had shocked the world further.
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Sadulaev’s is one of the quickest feet on the mat. He says the native dance called Lezginka is the reason for his movement.
Two years after announcing his arrival, the Dagestan-born wrestler clinches his gold in the 2016 Rio Games which was also his debut at the Olympics. Sadulaev is the son of a farmer from Dagestan, a mountainous region in south-western Russia where combat sports, and in particular wrestling, are a way of life.
Between November 2013 and August 2017, the wrestler also went on an undefeated run which included three European titles and two world championships. Post Rio Games, Sadulaev went up several weight categories to 97kg where he met his toughest rival in his entire career – Kyle Snyder.
It was the US wrestler who ended, his unbeaten run at the 2017 worlds held in Paris. But revenge was not far away. The pair met again 12 months later in the final of the world championships in Budapest. And this time, Sadulaev pinned the American with just over a minute into the bout to take the title.
Since then, Sadulaev has been an unstoppable force. The post-2017 loss to Snyder, the Russian has won two worlds and European titles each, and one European Games. The 23-year-old is currently the top seed for the Tokyo Olympics and also the favourite to win gold.
Snyder: The Captain America of Wrestling
Snyder is a big ‘Marvel Universe’ fan and believes just like the Avengers he too carries a lot of responsibility when he steps on the mat. He is a firm believer that his personality should be represented by the gear he wears on the mat. “My gear should represent my personality just like it does for the Marvel heroes. Too many people wrestlers are their heroes,” he says.
Till date, he is the only wrestler who has ever looked eye-to-eye to the ‘Russian tank’ Sadulaev and has been able to put him down. The 2017 worlds final win is probably the biggest highlight of his career. The win against an unstoppable force like Sadulaev in the final seems like no less than Olympic glory.
Snyder although booked a Tokyo berth for his country, he is yet to qualify for the Team USA for the Olympics. His biggest challenger would be J’den Cox who is moving up from 92kg to compete in an Olympic weight class But Sadulaev believes that Snyder has a better chance to fly to Tokyo for the Summer Games.
“Cox has specific wrestling style, however, Snyder will not be easy to beat. He is the current Olympic champion in 97kg freestyle and he is a lot bigger than Cox,” hinting towards Snyder being the favourite if the two USA wrestlers fight.
Snyder is the two-time world champion and the current Olympic champion in 97kg. Given the current world rankings, both Sadulaev and Snyder will most probably be in the brackets. It means there is a high possibility that the two might feature in the 97kg final of the Tokyo Olympic Games. If it so happens, it will be yet another wrestling battle for the next-gen to remember.
