Less than ten days remain until the start of the wrestling competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris. Many strong and bright wrestlers will go for their dream, and among them there are those who should demonstrate brilliant form as never before.
In this article, we will consider the wrestlers who will have a successful Olympic tournament in freestyle wrestling in the weight category up to 57 kg.
Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania, 57 kg) is a Dagestani wrestler competing for the Albanian national team. He has a high chance of winning an Olympic medal, and he is obliged to demonstrate a high level of wrestling at the tournament, shining as never before. In the weight category up to 57 kg, Zelimkhan shows excellent results at the world championships. In 2022, he became world champion, defeating American Thomas Gilman in the final. This time, Spencer Lee, who demonstrated his technicality and speed at the Olympic licensing tournament, will perform in the US team instead of Gilman. However, we all know what kind of character Dagestani wrestlers show at major tournaments.
Zelimkhan is among the seeded wrestlers in his weight class. Among the strong opponents in his bracket is the current world champion, Serbian Stefan Micic, whom he can only meet in the semifinals. This time, Micic will probably not be able to demonstrate the same form as at the previous world championship, since the tournament was held in Serbia, and his support was at the highest level.
Zelimkhan Abakarov's latest results:
2022 World Championships (57kg) - gold medal
2023 European Championships (61kg) - silver medal
2023 World Championships (57kg) - bronze medal
2024 European Championships (61kg) - silver medal
Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) is an Armenian wrestler who is approaching the Paris tournament in excellent physical and mental shape. He is the current European champion and a World Championship medalist. Arsen's main weight category is 61 kg, but at the European Championships he demonstrated that weight cutting does not prevent him from fighting at a high level, winning all his opponents ahead of schedule with a score of 10:0 and winning the final in less than a minute. Arsen is a very promising wrestler, and only high results can be expected from him.
Arsen is a seeded wrestler in his weight class. Among the strong rivals in his bracket is the Japanese Rei Higuchi, to whom he lost in a dramatic fight at the World Championships with a score of 16:14. Arsen has a strong character, and knowing his abilities, we can confidently say that this time the Japanese will not escape him.
Arsen Arutyunyan's latest results:
2022 European Championships (61 kg) - gold medal
2022 World Championships (61 kg) - bronze medal
2022 U-23 World Championships (61 kg) - gold medal
2023 European Championships (61 kg) - gold medal
2023 World Championships (57 kg) - bronze medal
2024 European Championships (57 kg) - gold medal