There are almost 50 days left until the Olympic Games, and during this time we have been trying to find out who will rise to the top step of the podium of the Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling this year.
We will have 6 weight categories at the Olympic Games - 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg. For several months we have been comparing and finally came to a common conclusion who are the clear favorites for gold at the Olympic Games in all weight categories, according to Sportball24.
57 kg - Here we highlighted two clear leaders, as it was impossible to choose one of them. Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) and Rei Higuchi (Japan). Why them? Let's start with Arsen.
Arsen Harutyunyan has been showing a high level for several years now, and this stability shows that he is not standing still. Every day he devotes time to training to become stronger than yesterday. For 3 years in a row no one has been able to defeat him at the European Championships. However, at the World Championships, there were opponents who were stronger than him. The last world tournament in Belgrade, among others. Then he lost in a very strong fight to our second hero of this weight category - Rei Higuchi, with the score 16:14 in favor of Rei Higuchi. He is very technical and fast, so he is a clear favorite for the Olympic title.
Rei Higuchi is a talented Japanese wrestler known for his outstanding wrestling skills. Higuchi possesses a high level of technical skill in wrestling. His movements are precise, fast and efficient, which allows him to control the course of the fight. He is a 28-year-old athlete from Japan. An important aspect of his style is his mental toughness. Higuchi is able to remain calm and focused even in the most intense situations, which helps him to make well-considered decisions and control the course of the fight. His main opponent at the last World Championships was Stefan Micic, who defeated Rey. However, it should be noted that the influence of the home arena on the result was noticeable, and in other major tournaments, Micic did not show such triumphs.
65kg - In this weight class there are many strong wrestlers capable of becoming Olympic champions, but we would like to single out Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia). Vazgen is characterized by a high level of physical fitness, which he demonstrated at the World Championships, where he was able to win a bronze medal and a ticket to the Olympic Games. Yes, he lost in the semifinals to a wrestler from Puerto Rico, but it will not matter much at the Olympic Games, as their last confrontation at the international tournament in Croatia ended with a crushing score of 9:1 in favor of Vazgen Tevanyan. He was unable to show his full power at the European Championships, losing the win to Russian wrestler Rashidov, but perhaps this is a tactical move ahead of the Olympics.
74 kg - Many people probably already know about Zaurbek Sidakov's leadership, and we stick to this opinion. Zaurbek Sidakov showed himself very well at the World Championships, showing his strengths like in the good old days. He has almost fully recovered from his injury and returned to the mat, becoming the winner of the international tournament “Grand Prix K-74”. There are other leaders besides Zaurbek, but the advantage is still on Osetin's side.
86kg - Much has changed in this weight class after it became known that the USA will not have the reigning Olympic champion David Taylor in its lineup. After him, the main favorite is considered the 'King of Wrestling of Iran', the reigning Olympic Vice-Champion - Hassan Yazdani (Iran). Hassan consistently proves to everyone why he is also considered the favorite for the championship in this weight class along with David Taylor. However, it was almost always David who proved to be the strongest among them. Now he will be gone, and this is a great chance to become the main leader in the 86kg weight class.
97kg - There are also two favorites here - Akhmed Tajudinov and Abdulrashid Sadulaev. However, we prefer to pick the experienced Sadulaev. At their last meeting Akhmed Tadzhudinov won, but it should be taken into account that Sadulaev had a shoulder injury. Now Abdulrashid is determined, and he is ready to fight for his third Olympic gold. Despite his age, Sadulaev is very technical and strong, which he demonstrated at the Russian Championships, where he won with confidence. Now his next target will be Paris.
125kg - There are four candidates for Olympic gold in this weight category. But our preference is given to the Iranian wrestler - Amir Zare. Amir differs from his rivals by his age. He is only 23 years old, and he will demonstrate his mighty strength at the Olympic Games. He has earned our status as a favorite after his triumphant 2023 World Championship in Belgrade, where he proved to everyone that he is worthy of great expectations.