#WrestleOslo

#TBT: Mensah-Stock Stops Oborududu in 68kg Olympic Finals

By Eric Olanowski

Tamyra MENSAH-STOCK ?? cruised to a three-point win over Blessing OBORUDUDU ?? in the 68kg finals and became the first black woman to win Olympic gold. After her win in Tokyo, Mensah-Stock owns the 3-0 match-advantage over Oborududu heading into the ’21 World Championships ?? (October 2-10).

But, similar to the Tokyo Olympics, Mensah-Stock and Oborududu are seeded first and second, respectively, and if the seeds hold true, the pair of rivals could meet on October 7 with world gold on the line.

Mensah-Stocks wins over Oborududu:
- ’18 Beat the Streets (2-1)
- ’19 World Championships (6-1)
- ’20 Matteo Pellicone (3-1)
- ’21 Tokyo Olympics (4-1)

#OffTheMat

What makes Amir Yazdani Olympic wrestling's next big super star?

By Eric Olanowski

ISTANBUL, Turkey (June 29) --- In a country that’s birthed some of wrestling’s biggest stars, Amir YAZDANI (IRI) is on the cusp of becoming a household name. He has the perfect mix of attack-first style of wrestling, a massive smile and boatloads of energy – on and off the mat – which makes the 21-year-old a perfect candidate to be wrestling’s next big thing.

In our latest #OffTheMat special, we sat down with Yazdani to talk about his introduction into wrestling and how having one of wrestling’s most-famous last names impacted his path into the sport. He also walked us through his breakout performance at the 2021 World Championships where he reached the world finals.

Furthermore, Yazdani discussed the difficulties that came along with handing Iran their 65kg berth to the Tokyo Olympic Games but falling short in Iran’s Olympic wrestle off and how that impacted him in moving up to 70kg. He also talked about his #PathToParis and how 74kg is the likely destination over the next few years.