#Grappling

Hansen breaks new ground with Grappling gold

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 14:49 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

PONTEVEDRA, Spain (October 18) -- Over the years, John HANSEN (USA) has been to United World Wrestling's Grappling World Championships with an aim to win the gold. But until 2022, he failed to achieve that.

But in Pontevedra, Spain, Hansen became the Grappling world champion in 130kg with a dominant run at the World Championships. Out of his four wins, two were by submission and the others were a testimony of how dominant Hansen is in Grappling.

Like Ivan SNIHUR (UKR) realized in the final when Hansen scored two points by bringing him down before adding three points for his control. Even as Snihur tried to escape out of the control, Hansen kept the offense going, adding two four-point movements before ultimately winning by submission with 1:42 remaining on the clock.

In the semifinal against Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), he allowed his opponent to be on top before reversing the position and taking control for a 5-2 lead. He won that bout 5-3.

Overall, Hansen expressed his satisfaction by not just winning the tournament but also how his team was able to win the team title.

"I am very satisfied," Hansen said. "The USA won the Grappling team title for the first time and I am very proud of that. Such an incredible experience to be part of like the gold-winning team. I wanted to win the gold but ran into a good opponent in 2019 and could not get it done last year either. This is a huge accomplishment. I have wanted this for a long time."

Out of the six finals, the USA reached finals with Richard ALARCON (USA) and Kevin CRANE (USA) joining Hansen as the world champion while Brady WICKLUND (USA) and Paul ARDILA (USA) finished with silver medals.

"The group has been coming together over the last couple of years," Hansen said. "We have been recruiting collegiate wrestlers and a lot of guys in their 20s."

The major reason Hansen believes in the success of the USA at the UWW World Championships is the advantage it gives to wrestlers and the various countries it brings together.

"The UWW rule set prioritizes wrestling as it should be," he said. "Like if I pull guard, I should be penalized two. That's great for wrestling and records it fairly. I don't think wrestlers should be allowed to sit down. That's why I love UWW. There are more countries [at these World Championships]. How many other events draw that much talent from other countries? It's really cool. To let our guys know in the USA, this is the real World Championships."

Hansen has been one of the biggest names in Grappling and even at the age of 40 years, he participates around the world. With more understanding of the sport than he first began at the UWW tournaments, Hansen said it is one of the biggest competitions out there.

"If you take a UWW grappler with a high-pace rule set, he will wrestle 10 minutes easily. Other grapplers coming to UWW will be called for stalling. UWW grappler will go challenging anywhere."

While Pontevedra saw grapplers from Japan, India and Angola apart from the dominant grappling countries, Hansen hopes the variety continues at future tournaments, an important step to growing the sport.

"Australia is there [to grow]," he said. "Their style is very action-oriented and very aggressive which is perfect for UWW. When I saw it first, I was like why is someone called passive when you are mounted?

"But Australia and Japan are the teams. The grapplers from eastern Europe are also top. They are good on top, good at the bottom, and good in wrestling. UWW rule set is what people in eastern Europe play and that sets them apart. If they come to other rule sets competition, they will not take much time to adapt. Another country is Canada. They won't take to come up. Argentina will be out as well."

Though he has not his calendar set for next year, Hansen believes that the World Championships will always be on his schedule.

"As long as I can keep my spot in the USA, I will be at every UWW Worlds until somebody takes it from me," he said. "There is a legit commodity with 30 countries showing up. This is a completely different experience."

RESULTS

Grappling

62kg
GOLD: Amit BURSHTEIN (ISR) df. Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM), 7-4

BRONZE: Shervani ABDULAYEV (KAZ) df. Eric MEDINA (USA), 2-2
BRONZE: Arulan KURMANALIYEV (KAZ) df. Daniele CALDARERA (ITA), 6-3

66kg
GOLD: Richard ALARCON (USA) df. Yurii CHERKALIUK (UKR), 1-1

BRONZE: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Bekzat KAPASHOV (KAZ), 7-1
BRONZE: Wojciech PAJAK (POL) df. Sergio CALDERON (ESP), via submission

71kg
GOLD: Nurbek TALBUDIN (KAZ) df. Nico PULVERMUELLER (GER), 4-1

BRONZE: Alessio SACCHETTI (ITA) df. Nadav BAR GIL (ISR), 7-2
BRONZE: Magomed DJABRAILOV (FRA) df. Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ), via submission (1-5)

77kg
GOLD: Fernando MEDINA (ESP) df. Brady WICKLUND (USA), 9-0

BRONZE: Nadir IMAMALIYEV (AZE) df. Pierre MANZO (FRA), 2-2
BRONZE: Djabrail DJABRAILOV (FRA) df. Nahman BITON (ISR), 13-1

84kg
GOLD: Kevin CRANE (USA) df. Muhammet BAYRAKTAR (FRA), 8-0

BRONZE: Matteo VERMIGLIO (ITA) df. Artur ZAKARYAN (ARM), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Mateusz MAZUR (POL) df. Zaireden MUKHAMBETZHANOV (KAZ), via submission (0-2)

92kg
GOLD: Roman KIZIUK (UKR) df. Paul ARDILA (USA), 2-1

BRONZE: Manuel PILATO (ITA) df. Pedro GARCIA (ESP), 3-2
BRONZE: Pawel NEDZI (POL) df. Mykhailo MUZYCHENKO (UKR), 6-2

100kg
GOLD: Andrzej IWAT (POL) df. Aleksandre TEVZADZE (GEO), 10-0

BRONZE: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Dominik OLSZEWSKI (POL), 2-1
BRONZE: Eduardo RIEGO (ESP) df. Eliot KELLY (USA), 3-2

130kg
GOLD: John HANSEN (USA) df. Ivan SNIHUR (UKR), via submission (13-0)

BRONZE: Tobin CAHILL (USA) df. MARCOS GONZALEZ (ESP), via submission (11-2)
BRONZE: Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), 12-2

U20 men's results

58kg
GOLD: Karshyga ABDRAKHIM (KAZ) df. Zhyldyzbek ABYLBEKOV (KGZ), 3-2

BRONZE: Alejandro REYES (ESP) df. Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ), via submission (6-0)

62kg
GOLD: Vadym SKRYNYTSIA (UKR) df. Chingis IDRISSOV (KAZ), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Ori WEISMAN (ISR) df. Guillermo GUTIERREZ (ESP), via overtime (2-2)

66kg
GOLD: Zhanuzak AITBAYEV (KAZ) df. Ali BEKISH (KAZ), 3-3

BRONZE: Nursultan KUSHTARBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Avelino SANTOS (ESP), via submission (6-6)
BRONZE: Ethan FORREZ (FRA) df. Giovanni SUAREZ (ESP), via submission, (2-0)

71kg
GOLD: Aldiyar SERIK (KAZ) df. Aron HERNANDEZ MONTERO (ESP), via submission (2-0)

BRONZE: Vincenzo BUSSOLOTTI (ESP) df. Syimyk SADYRBEK UULU (KGZ), via submission (2-0)
BRONZE: Milan NIKOLENKO (UKR) df. Noam KOREN (ISR), 5-2 

77kg
Round 5: Miguel NAVARRO (ESP) df. Yizhaq AMAR (ISR), via submission
Round 5: Amirzhan SIKHIMBAYEV (KAZ) df. Ramon PLACER (ESP), via default

GOLD: Miguel NAVARRO (ESP)
SILVER: Yizhaq AMAR (ISR)
BRONZE: Amirzhan SIKHIMBAYEV (KAZ)

84kg
GOLD: Levente LAKY (HUN) df. Alikhan KHABIBULLA (KAZ), 4-1

BRONZE: Hugo DESCHEEMAKER (FRA) df. Kutkeldi ZHOROKUL UULU (KGZ), via forfeit
BRONZE: Yarin DABOOL (ISR) df. Saul CHAYA (ESP), 7-2

92kg (3 entries)
GOLD: Jhonatan ORELLANA ALIAGA (ESP) df. Yerlan MUKHIT (KAZ), via submission

130kg (3 entries)
GOLD: Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ) df. Ismael CASTILLO JIMENEZ (ESP) 

U17 men's results

50kg
GOLD: Heorhii HUDZ (UKR) df. Ibraim ISKANDAROV (KGZ), 7-1

BRONZE: Emanuel SEGADO (ESP) df. Alex PINTER (HUN), via forfeit

54kg
Round 5: Ismail KUNAYEV (KAZ) df. Nurbol ZHYRGALBEKOV (KGZ), 7-6
Round 5: Guy BURSHTEIN (ISR) df. Rakhymzhan TURGANBEK (KAZ), 4-3

GOLD: Ismail KUNAYEV (KAZ)
SILVER: Nurbol ZHYRGALBEKOV (KGZ)
BRONZE: Guy BURSHTEIN (ISR)

58kg
GOLD: Bekzat KAZTAYEV (KAZ) df. Illia SVIATUN (UKR), 15-9

BRONZE: Tigran GHAZAKHYAN (ARM) df. Daniel GONZALEZ FERRER (ESP), via submission (0-2)

63kg
GOLD: Wassim CHAINE (FRA) df. Sergey ZELENKEVICH (KAZ), 2-1

BRONZE: Nurassyl TURUSPEKOV (KAZ) df. Ilay PELTZ (ISR), 2-1

69kg
GOLD: Ethan FORREZ (FRA) df. Danil VAKHTINOV (KAZ), 8-4

BRONZE: Nahapet EKIZYAN (ARM) df. Emilijus KAGANOVICIUS (LTU), via submission (0-2)
BRONZE: Gafur UZHAKHOV (KAZ) df. Amit AVIV (ISR), via submission (0-2)

76kg
GOLD: Sungat SANSYZBAYEV (KAZ) df. Tamir BARHAM (ISR), 6-4

BRONZE: Kalys SOODALIEV (KGZ) df. Jorge FERNANDEZ (ESP), 12-0

85kg
GOLD: Stefan LOBODA (ROU)
SILVER: Dorian FARKAS (HUN)
BRONZE: Karim ADEM (FRA) 

Key bout: Stefan LOBODA (ROU) df. Dorian FARKAS (HUN), 11-3 (Round 3)

110kg
GOLD: Dinmukhamed KUANGALIYEV (KAZ)
SILVER: Ibrahim MANARBEK (KAZ)
BRONZE: Antonio HERRERA (ESP)

Key bout: Dinmukhamed KUANGALIYEV (KAZ) df. Ibrahim MANARBEK (KAZ), via submission (5-0 in Round 2)

Grappling Gi

62kg
GOLD: Daiki YONEKURA (JPN) df. Dmytro BARANOV (UKR), via submission (0-2)

BRONZE: Mayis NERSESYAN (ARM) df. Ander SANCHEZ (ESP), 13-0
BRONZE: Raimbek TAZHIBAEV (KGZ) df. Daulet ZHUMADULLAYEV (KAZ), 6-5

66kg
GOLD: Anthony DE OLIVEIRA (FRA) df. Yurii CHERKALIUK (UKR), 5-1

BRONZE: Wojciech PAJAK (POL) df. Sergio CALDERON (ESP), via walkover
BRONZE: Mykyta DUSHKO (UKR) df. Galymzhan OMAR (KAZ), 7-0

71kg
GOLD: Haniel SCHUCMAN (ISR) df. Sarsen ZHETIBAYEV (KAZ), 9-1

BRONZE: Magomed DJABRAILOV (FRA) df. Alessio SACCHETTI (ITA), 2-2
BRONZE: Ivan RASIUK (UKR) df. Zoltan TOTH (HUN), 2-1

77kg
GOLD: Fernando MEDINA (ESP) df. Djabrail DJABRAILOV (FRA), 2-1

BRONZE: Dumitru CEBAN (MDA) df. Nahman BITON (ISR), 7-2
BRONZE: Adlan MADAYEV (KAZ) df. Jakub NAJDEK (POL), 2-2

84kg
GOLD: Arturo SALAS (ESP) df. Inelton BOMBO (ANG), 4-2

BRONZE: Alberto GONZALEZ (ESP) df. Mateusz MAZUR (POL), 6-4
BRONZE: Aurel PIRTEA (ROU) df. Samy MEZACHE (FRA), 11-2

92kg
GOLD: Roman KIZIUK (UKR) df. Ravshan URAZOV (KAZ), 8-8

BRONZE: Pablo ESTEPA (ESP) df. Martin BARTHEL (GER), via submission (5-2)
BRONZE: Eldar RAFIGAEV (MDA) df. Vasile CUBLESAN (ROU), via submission (0-3)

100kg
GOLD: Ivan MALIN (UKR) df. Bakdaulet ABYZOV (KAZ), 2-2

BRONZE: Serhii HAVRYSH (UKR) df. Wendy KOHILI (FRA), 9-6
BRONZE: Martin NUSSMANN (GER) df. Ilias BOUKIS (GRE), 6-1

130kg
GOLD: Alexandr ROMANOV (MDA) df. Ioannis KARGIOTAKIS (GRE), via submission (9-0)

BRONZE: Guglielmo CECCA (ITA) df. Juan HEREDIA (ESP), 4-2
BRONZE: Talgat ZHIYENTAYEV (KAZ) df. Ivan SNIHUR (UKR), via submission (6-0)

U20 men's results

58kg
GOLD: Karshyga ABDRAKHIM (KAZ) df. Zhyldyzbek ABYLBEKOV (KGZ), 3-2

BRONZE: Alejandro REYES (ESP) df. Alikhan ALSHINBAY (KAZ), via submission (6-1)

62kg
GOLD: Kostiantyn MIZUN (UKR) df. Vadym SKRYNYTSIA (UKR), 3-1

BRONZE: Ori WEISMAN (ISR) df. Acoidan ARBELO (ESP), via submission (2-2) 

66kg
GOLD: Giovanni SUAREZ (ESP) df. Alikhan AKHMETZHANOV (KAZ), 7-3

BRONZE: Ethan FORREZ (FRA) df. Nursultan KUSHTARBEK UULU (KGZ), via submission (2-0)
BRONZE: Ali BEKISH (KAZ) df. Volodymyr DYMED (UKR), overtime (2-2)

71kg
GOLD: Aldiyar SERIK (KAZ) df. Vincenzo BUSSOLOTTI (ESP), via submission (7-2)

BRONZE: Mani GRIMAUDO (FRA) df. Syimyk SADYRBEK UULU (KGZ), via submission (6-0)
BRONZE: Aron HERNANDEZ (ESP) df. Artem KHVAN (KAZ), 14-4

77kg
GOLD: Yizhaq AMAR (ISR)
SILVER: Amirzhan SIKHIMBAYEV (KAZ) 
BRONZE: Bilal SAFI (FRA)

Key bout: Yizhaq AMAR (ISR) df. Amirzhan SIKHIMBAYEV (KAZ), 3-2 (Round 2)

84kg
GOLD: Alikhan KHABIBULLA (KAZ) df. Kutkeldi ZHOROKUL UULU (KGZ), via submission (9-2)

BRONZE: Yarin DABOOL (ISR) df. Akmaldin KUSHANLO (KGZ), via submission (2-4)
BRONZE: Saul CHAYA LOPEZ (ESP) df. Hugo DESCHEEMAKER (FRA), via submission

92kg (3 entries)
Round 1: Nurdaulet KARBOZOV (KAZ) df. Pablo TORRES JIMENEZ (ESP), 6-1

130kg
GOLD: Arystan AITMOLDIN (KAZ)
SIVER: Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), 6-1
BRONZE: Ismael CASTILLO JIMENEZ (ESP)

Key bout:  Arystan AITMOLDIN (KAZ) df. Ramazan ABDRAKHIMOV (KAZ), 6-1 (Round 3)

U17 men's results

42kg (2 entries)
GOLD: Azamat MENGAIR (KAZ) df. Yersultan KAIYRZHAN (KAZ), 8-0

50kg
GOLD: Imran MAGZUM (KAZ)
SILVER: Leo CLIMENT (ESP)
BRONZE: Ibraim ISKANDAROV (KGZ)

Key bout: Imran MAGZUM (KAZ) df. Leo CLIMENT WODEY (ESP), 6-2 (Round 2)

54kg
GOLD: Heorhii HUDZ (UKR)
SILVER: Guy BURSHTEIN (ISR)
BRONZE: Rakhymzhan TURGANBEK (KAZ)

Key bout: Heorhii HUDZ (UKR) df. Guy BURSHTEIN (ISR), 4-4 (Round 2)

58kg
GOLD: Bekzat KAZTAYEV (KAZ) df. Nurbol ZHYRGALBEKOV (KGZ), via submission (2-2)

BRONZE: Akdoolot ABYLBEKOV (KGZ) df. Daniel GONZALEZ (ESP), 12-3

63kg
GOLD: Sergey ZELENKEVICH (KAZ) df. Matei BRIE (ROU), via submission (10-1)

BRONZE: Wassim CHAINE (FRA) df. Nurassyl TURUSPEKOV (KAZ), 5-1
BRONZE: Tytus MACINSKI (POL) df. Eduard ROSIQUE (ESP), via submission (10-0)

69kg
GOLD: Gafur UZHAKHOV (KAZ) df. Ethan FORREZ (FRA), via submission (0-2) 

BRONZE: Ron FRIEDMAN (ISR) df. Alvaro GOMEZ (ESP), 14-8
BRONZE: Emilijus KAGANOVICIUS (LTU) df. Amit AVIV (ISR), via forfeit

76kg
GOLD: Sungat SANSYZBAYEV (KAZ) df. Tamir BARHAM (ISR), 5-4

BRONZE: Kalys SOODALIEV (KGZ) df. Islam SAGDANBEKOV (KGZ), 11-10

85kg
GOLD: Karim ADEM (FRA)
SILVER: Dorian FARKAS (HUN)
BRONZE: Stefan LOBODA (ROU)

Key bout: Karim ADEM (FRA) df. Dorian FARKAS (HUN), 4-2 (Round 3)

110kg
GOLD: Ibrahim MANARBEK (KAZ)
SILVER: Juan GOMEZ (ESP)
BRONZE: Dinmukhamed KUANGALIYEV (KAZ)

Key bout: Ibrahim MANARBEK (KAZ) df. Juan GOMEZ (ESP), 9-2 (Round 2)

Obituary

Remembering Saitiev: Master on mat who inspired many

Monday, April 7, 2025 - 12:53 By Vinay Siwach

Share this article

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (April 7) -- Buvaisar SAITIEV was an unknown before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. And after that he became the legend. 

At 21, Saitiev thrilled the crowd and displayed techniques that the world thought were impossible to execute at 74kg. Saitiev would go on to win two more Olympic golds -- 2004 and 2008 -- as he became the best 74kg wrestler out there. A three-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, and an inspiration to the wrestling world, Saitiev passed away earlier this month at the age of 49.

"Biggest and greatest wrestler" - Nenad LALOVIC, UWW President

Brandon SLAY (USA) was in that crowd at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The 21-year-old was amazed what he saw. He watched another 21-year-old win the gold medal.

"It was an honor to watch him in Atlanta," Slay said. "Then study him and compete against him four years later."

Believe it or not, that was the first time Russia won Olympic gold medal at 74kg, a weight class now synonymous with their domination, both at senior and youth level.

Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS)Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

At the time, the U.S. was focused on defending its dominance at 74kg, with Iran also challenging for supremacy, while Saitiev had yet to make his mark internationally. The Olympic history saw wrestlers from Turkiye, Japan, the United States and Korea win gold medal in this weight class. So when Saitiev arrived, he was the underdog. In the 1996 Atlanta final, he defeated the defending Olympic champion Park JANG SOON and ushered an era of Russian dominance at this weight class.

It took a once-in-a-lifetime talents like Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) to deny the gold medals to Russia in 2012 and 2016 respectively. However, Russia is now at top. Zaurbek SIDAKOV (ROC) won gold medals at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, 2020 Tokyo Olympics [held in 2021] before winning it again in 2023 and Russian transfer to Uzbekistan and Saitiev's student Razambek JAMALOV (UZB) won in 2024.

A little insight on how the U.S. discovered Saitiev is provided in the the documentary 'Slaying Saitiev". Pat SMITH (USA), who was wrestling at the 1995 Ivan Yarygin Memorial, recalls when he first saw Saitiev, his opponent in the final.

Saitiev had not wrestled senior-level yet internationally and was till three months away from winning his first World Championships gold. So Smith and his team thought they are favorites to win the gold medal at the Yarygin.

"I go out on the mat, I see Saitiev, the fight starts," Smith recalls in the documentary. "And right away, right away I thought: “This is the best they have.” Because the way he was punching, his movement, the way he was flowing from one position to another... he was simply unstoppable. I did some takedowns, but in the end he gave me a pretty good beating. I come off the mat, Bruce is standing there, I say: “You were wrong. That guy from the semi-finals wasn’t the best. This is the best . ” – “I didn’t even know who it was!” – “Now you know. Buvaisar Saitiev.” And two months later he won the world championship. The best wrestler I’ve ever wrestled. There’s no question about that. The best.

"He looked like a librarian, skinny, gangly. But the positions he scores from, the way he moves you around the mat... I've never wrestled anyone like that again."

Smith’s observation wasn’t just a fleeting comment. It captured the essence of what made Saitiev so formidable on the mat. Saitiev, standing at 6 feet, defied convention of a tall wrestler standing upright. He would engage in ties which forced his opponents to shoot while he was in control. Saitiev would counter rather easily and score.

Saitiev used to engage with his opponents and yet they found it extremely difficult to score a takedown on him.

Brandon SLAY (USA)Brandon SLAY (USA) over Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS) at the 2000 Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Martin Gabor)

Slay, who defeated Saitiev at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, had to study Saitiev for years before breaking through in their Olympic meeting.

"The greatness of Saitiev came from how extremely hard it was to finish takedowns on him," Slay says. "Most of the time when people attacked Saitiev, either he scored or no one scored. And, most of the time when he attacked, he scored. That makes for a very challenging opponent to beat, which is why he rarely lost. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to wrestle the greatest wrestler of all time."

Saitiev had it all. Snapdowns, feints, two-on-one, underhooks, overhooks, defense, attack, chain wrestling, innovations, and techniques that made him score points from any positions. So many options to immobilize his opponents who would eventually break down.

On March 3, the day he passed away, the internet saw outpouring tributes to his legacy. But some of the most shared posts were his clips from various bouts on his career. A few wrote how they began wrestling because of him, others explained why he inspired them to adapt and study wrestling.

Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS)Buvaisar SAITIEV (RUS). (Photo: United World Wrestling)

2008 Olympic champion Henry CEJUDO (USA) called him the "greatest" and he was a 'fanboy.'

"A man that was poetry in motion at its finest, and in my opinion, the greatest athlete who has ever ever lived or walked on planet Earth," Cejudo wrote on his Instagram. "I would never fanboy over anybody but Buvaisar. I was so honored of the times that I did get a chance to hang out as I had a permanent smile the whole day. Thank you for all the great years that you gave the wrestling community and inspiring millions of people across the world. I can honestly say without Saitiev I wouldn’t be the wrestler that I am today."

John DIAKOMIHALIS (USA), a wrestler known for his crafty moves and detailing of wrestling, tributed his passion to Saitiev, who himself was known as a wizard on the mat for his moves.

"Buvaisar Saitiev was how I fell in love with the art of wrestling, I wanted to be like him," Diakomihalis wrote on X. "His innovation and passion for improvement were some of the staples of how I approached learning the sport or learning anything in my life."

Saitiev had that impact on people. Jamalov, who won the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal, was Saitiev's student. Jamalov said that Saitiev was family.

"His approach was very subtle and deep, he always knew how to choose the right and necessary words for support," Jamalov said. "Every meeting with him was unforgettable and every word of his was unforgettable. Outside of wrestling, he was very caring and compassionate towards me, he was always worried about my injuries and operations."

While Jamalov was his student, Saitiev never backed from helping any wrestler. He 'couldn't stop himself from talk to even strangers if he had a broken ear.'

 

After Tokyo Olympic champion Yui SUSAKI (JPN) lost her first-ever international bout to VINESH (IND) in Paris, she talked to Saitiev who had lost in Sydney after winning Atlanta but still won two more Olympic golds.

"I had a video call with him right after the Paris Olympics," Susaki said. "Like me, he didn't do well in his second Olympics. But he won gold medals in two more Olympics. I vowed to him that I would win gold medals in two more Olympics like him to become a legend.

"He also taught me that to become a legend, I should never lose again. I owe it all to him that I was able to stand up strong after losing. Thanks to him, I decided to keep fighting to win two more Olympic gold medals. And I vowed to become a legendary wrestler like him. I won't lose anymore. I will keep winning. Your message is a treasure for my life. He is a legend and his wrestling has always fascinated me. His matches are always amazing to watch and I think he is the most talented wrestler in history."

This off the mat personality of Saitiev resonated with many, even with people outside of wrestling. He was humble, witty and respectful.

Sports Express journalist Yuri GOLYSHAK recalled his moments with Saitiev who was part of many reception after his 2008 Beijing gold medal. 

"I was sure that we would meet again. Saitiev had enough stories for ten interviews," Golyshak wrote in his tribute. "I even imagined how it would be - not in a hurry, like after Beijing. Not in a car, no. Everything will be different. I will come to his home in Khasavyurt. It will be a fairy tale. We will go to the mountains. I will understand something that I did not understand before, in this amazing, invincible man. And in life in general."

Saitiev's influence transcends mere records and titles. His tactics on the mat just when the internet era arrived gave insights into a wrestler may only be imagined. He passed on that mastery to a special few who remember him as a mentor, inspiration and the greatest ever.