#ThrowBackThursday

#TBT: Zhumanazarova wins first senior medal at Bishkek Asian Championships

Thursday, July 7, 2022 - 14:48 By Eric Olanowski

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 7) --- World champion Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) burst on the scene with a couple of junior-level medals. But the real breakthrough in her career was the 2018 Asian Championships. Wrestling in front of the home crowd, Zhumanazarova thrilled the fans with a high-paced 12-6 win over Divya KAKRAN (IND) to win a bronze medal at 68kg.

#ThrowBackThursday

#TBT: Olympic Champion Steveson Wins First World Title

Thursday, January 13, 2022 - 12:58 By United World Wrestling Press

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Gable STEVESON (USA) became an overnight sensation after winning a thrilling final and the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with wins over former world champions Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) and Taha AKGUL (TUR). The American was trailing Petriashvili in the 125kg final in Tokyo but scored two takedowns in the final 10 seconds to win the coveted Olympic title at the age of 21.

But a three-time age-group world champion has a habit of punching about his weight. In 2015, a 15-year-old Steveson made a stunning run at the Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and won the gold medal with a 9-0 victory over Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB). He outscored his opponents 47-12.

Since then he won the 2016 cadet world title, 2017 junior world title, 2021 senior Pan-Am Championships gold and the Tokyo Olympics gold with just the 2018 Junior World Championships being a lackluster event for him. The defending champion there finished fifth as Rakhimov avenged his loss from 2015 with a pin.