Fr om May 27 to 31, the Ali Aliyev Sports and Youth Palace in Kaspiysk (Republic of Dagestan) hosted the Russian Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, broadcast live. The freestyle competition, held first this year, featured 92 athletes from 21 regions of our country, competing from morning to evening in ten weight categories: 57, 61, 65, 70, 74, 79, 86, 92, 97, and 125 kg.
The colourful opening ceremony and awards presentation of freestyle wrestlers was attended by distinguished guests: Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov, Deputy Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Republic of Dagestan, Olympic champion; Murat Paizulaev, Deputy and Chairman of the Committee on Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan; Islam Makhachev, World Combat Sambo Champion and two-time UFC belt holder; as well as Vladislav Tarasov, member of the OSFSG Board and Deaflympics champion.
In the freestyle team standings, the Republic of Dagestan scored the most points, significantly ahead of its rivals, scoring almost twice as many points as the other medallists. North Ossetia-Alania took second place, while Buryatia secured third.
A day after the freestyle wrestlers' performances, the competitions were replaced by Greco-Roman wrestlers, wh ere 76 athletes fr om 28 regions also competed against each other throughout the day in ten weight categories: 55, 60, 63, 72, 77, 82, 87, 97, and 130 kg. As expected, the strongest athletes advanced to the finals, though not all could clinch gold in the fierce showdowns.
The opening ceremony of the classical style competition was attended by Dmitry Rebrov, President of the OSFSG; Sazhid Sazhidov, Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Republic of Dagestan; and Rustam Khabilov, Vice President of the regional branch of the OSFSG of the Republic of Dagestan.
Athletes from Moscow claimed the most medals, earning first place. The Vladimir and Tambov regions took second and third, respectively.
The winners and prize-winners were awarded by the President of the OSFSG, Dmitry Rebrov, together with the Chairman of the regional branch of the OSFSG of the Republic of Dagestan, Soltan Ramazanov, who made significant efforts in the preparation and organization of these two sporting events.
ALL RESULTS IN FREESTYLE WRESTLING
ALL RESULTS IN GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING
Alexey Shemarov, Senior Coach of the Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Team:
“The recent Russian Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Kaspiysk set a shining example—not only for wrestling, but for all deaf sports! The athletes arrived to the main event of the year in peak condition. This was seen in the number of competitive matches and the number of cool techniques. It was clear that every participant in the tournament wasn't going to give up at any point. I'm grateful to the coaches and athletes who started taking training more seriously.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Dagestan and personally to the Minister of Sports, Sazhid Sazhidov, for providing our wrestlers with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and take leading positions in deaf sports in the Mecca of sports wrestling—the Republic of Dagestan!
Next, we have a series of training events ahead, to which all the leaders of the national team will be invited. We are preparing for the Deaflympics and believe with all our hearts that as many wrestlers as possible will be able to go and fulfil their lifelong dream of winning at the Deaflympics!”
Daniil Ivanov, Head Coach of the Russian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Team:
“The intensity of this tournament exceeded expectations. The athletes delivered outstanding performances, demonstrating their skills and tactical abilities, and improving their physical and mental qualities with each match. I would like to express my gratitude to all the athletes and coaches for their hard work and excellent preparation. Special thanks go to the organizers of this wonderful sporting event. This tournament marks the beginning of our preparations for upcoming international competitions, including the Deaflympics, wh ere our strength lies in unity, solidarity, and unwavering self-belief.”
Text: Maria Mazhenina, Soltan Ramazanov, Nurlan Tazhigulov
Photos: Yuri Petrov, Arip Ibragimov, Radik Bukhsaev
Translation: Daria Kudelina
