#WrestleBelgrade

Micic beats Olympic, world champs to set up Higuchi final; Dake takes on Sidakov

Sunday, September 17, 2023 - 15:55 By Vinay Siwach

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BELGRADE, Serbia (September 17) -- All eyes were on the Olympic and world champions at 57kg with Zavur UGUEV (AIN), Zelimkhan ABAKAROV (ALB) and Rei HIGUCHI (JPN).

But Stevan MICIC (SRB) defeated two of the three, Uguev and Abakarov, in back-to-back matches and will face the third, Higuchi, for the gold medal at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Micic, a bronze medalist at 61kg from 2022, stunned Uguev 9-7 in the quarterfinals and then took out Abakarov 6-2 in the semifinals not only booking a place in the final but also earning a Paris Olympic quota for Serbia at 57kg.

Higuchi, the world champion at 61kg in 2022, returned to the World Championships final, this year at 57kg, an Olympic weight class as he continues his journey towards the Olympic gold medal he missed in 2016 after finishing second to Vladimir KHINCHEGASHVILI (GEO).

He will now have to return Monday to wrestle Micic, who will undoubtedly be backed by the fans present in the Stark Arena.

At 74kg, two-time defending world champion Kyle DAKE (USA) set up a dream final against Olympic champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (AIN) and both wrestlers received a Paris Olympic spot.

However, both took the tough road to the gold-medal bout.

Dake opened his day against Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) and won 12-2 before Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) tested him in the 9-4 win. Dake looked a little uncomfortable and Daichi TAKATANI (JPN) confirmed it as he pushed Dake, who won 6-4 but had to dig deep to avoid some tough attacks from the Japanese.

In the semifinals, Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) chest-wrapped Dake on multiple occasions but failed to score. Dake came out on top 4-1 to reach the final.

Sidakov, returning to the World Championships for the first time since winning his second title in 2019, opened the day with a thrilling 8-7 win over Avtandil KENTCHADZE (GEO), a wrestler Sidakov beat to win his first world title in 2018.

Kentchadze hit a four-pointer but Sidakov managed to come back with two takedowns in the second period to win the bout. He then went on to beat Bekzod ABDURAKHAMANOV (UZB) 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Returning bronze medalist Yones EMAMI (IRI) was blanked 6-0 and Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) lost 6-4.

In the semifinals, Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE) was no match for Sidakov as the AIN wrestler won 4-1 and booked his place against Dake.

A long-awaited bout between Dake and Sidakov has been looked at as the contender for the real dominant wrestler at 74kg.

The loss of Takatani means that Frank CHAMIZO (ITA) will have to earn a quota from other qualifiers while the loss of Kougioumtsidis meant that Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Magomedkhabib KADIMAGOMEDOV (AIN) and Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) will have to find another tournament to earn a quota for Paris.

Micic, however, will in all likelihood be Serbia's representative in Paris after booking the ticket.

He gave the first glimpse of how the day would look like with an 11-0 win over Gukhyeon KIM (KOR) and then a 7-2 win over Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) put him against Uguev in the quarterfinals. Both went back-and-forth with Uguev opening the scoring with a takedown. But Micic came back with a takedown. His 2-2 criteria live was short-lived as Uguev made it 5-2 and later 7-2.

Micic, however, did not give up, mounting an incredible comeback with two takedowns. The Serbian, trailing 7-6 with 40 seconds remaining, got Uguev for two points with seven seconds remaining to get the win.

If that was not enough, Abakarov was his next victim in the semifinal. Micic was trailing 2-1 and Abakarov was happy to hold the lead but Micic managed to hit a four-pointer and take a 5-2 lead. Abakarov challenged the call but the four points were upheld, giving Micic the win and Olympic quota.

To crown Serbia's first-ever Freestyle world champion, Micic will have to beat Higuchi who survived a barn burner against Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM).

The European champion at 61kg, Harutyunyan hit a four-pointer to start the match. But Higuchi used his arm-bar offense and leg lace to win 16-14 in the quarterfinals. He blanked Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) 11-0 in the semifinals.

Higuchi missed the Tokyo Olympics after his bid to return to 57kg was cut short, first by a missed weight at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers and later by Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who won a playoff against Higuchi to represent Japan at the home Olympics.

In the non-Olympic weight classes, In the non-Olympic weight classes, Akhmed USMANOV (AIN) defeated two-time returning silver medalist Mohamad NOKHODI (IRI) in the semifinal and will face U23 world champion Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) for the gold at 79kg.

At 92kg, returning bronze medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) made short work of Asian champion and 19-year-old Arash YOSHIDA (JPN) by beating him 11-0 in the semifinal. Yoshida had earlier defeated Vladislav VALIEV (AIN) in the opening bout of his debut World Championships.

He will face another 19-year-old, Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), for the gold medal. Aitmukhan defeated returning bronze medalist Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) to enter his first World Championships final. Aitmukhan was second to Yoshida in the Asian Championships final in April.

Obituary

Remembering Saitiev: Master on mat who inspired many

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

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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.