At the World Wrestling Championships, much attention was focused on the weight category up to 97 kg for freestyle wrestlers. By the will of the lot, the two main favorites – Russian Abdulrashid Sadulaev and American Kyle Snyder – could compete in the battle for the final. This fight was perhaps the most anticipated at the tournament, but it did not take place in the semifinals.

Sadulayev miraculously escaped in the quarterfinals, escaping defeat in the last seconds. Snyder completely lost! And in the semi-finals, Abdulrashid followed suit, also getting injured.

Now in the weight category up to 97 kg there will be a sensational new champion.

Touché in four seconds

Abdulrashid Sadulayev approached the World Championships in Belgrade with a powerful background. The two-time Olympic champion and five-time world championship winner was one of the most titled wrestlers in Serbia. At the same time, 2023 did not go well for him: an injury did not allow him to compete in two prestigious tournaments – the Ivan Yarygin Cup and the Russian Championship. I had to have surgery to quickly return to duty.

Sadulayev’s path along the grid was not easy. In the 1/16 finals, he easily defeated the South African Nicolas de Lange (7:0), but the Hungarian with Ossetian roots, Vladislav Baytsaev, gave the great wrestler a real fight – 4:2. In the quarterfinals, Abdulrashid was awaited by Mojtaba Golej from Iran, an experienced wrestler with a medal at the 2021 World Cup.

The fight was extremely nervous. Having exchanged two-point moves, the wrestlers were leading the match to a draw, but a minute before the end Sadulaev made a mistake in the attack, and Golej threw him on his stomach, adding two more points. It seemed that Abdulrashid would admit defeat, but he did not give up and performed a small sports miracle.

When only a few seconds remained, the Russian walked into the shoulders and put the Iranian on his back. Mojtaba desperately tried to get out, but could not cope with Sadulaev’s onslaught. When the referee stopped the match, the scoreboard showed four seconds left. The Russian was awarded the victory by fall.

Abdulrashid Sadulayev / Photo: © Russian Wrestling Federation

Abdulrashid’s sporting feat immediately became public knowledge. Fans from all over Russia expressed their admiration for the champion. It’s not every day you see such drama in wrestling!

Flew like a boy

Sadulaev’s opponent in all scenarios should have been Kyle Snyder. They have a glorious history of confrontations. They previously met four times in the finals of major tournaments. The first meeting at the 2017 World Cup went to the American, but then Sadulaev won three times – at the Tokyo Olympics and at two world championships.

Kyle Snyder / Photo: © REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

Snyder did not go to the next meeting – he flew. His opponents, Canadian Nishan Randhawa and Radu Lefter from Moldova, received 11:0 and 12:1 from the famous Kyle, respectively. In the quarterfinals, Snyder was ready to deal with Akhmed Tazhudinov, a native of Dagestan who has represented Bahrain since last year.

But things went wrong for Kyle from the very beginning. Tazhudinov threw the great wrestler around like a little boy. Snyder was not prepared for such agility from 20-year-old Ahmed. The fight ended with a five-point throw from Tazhudinov, after which the judges gave an early victory to the Bahraini. 11:0 – the famous American has never lost so loudly!

Dagestan sensation from Bahrain

In the semi-finals, Tazhudinov met with Sadulayev. Interestingly, Ahmed trained at the school named after Abdulrashid as a child.

The personal duel between the two wrestlers in all scenarios should have gone to the more experienced Sadulayev. But Tazhudinov seemed to continue the fight with Snyder – he showed a mature fight beyond his years and drove his opponent around the mat. The decisive factor was the end of the first period, when the guy from Bahrain caught the Russian making a mistake and made two two-point attempts in a row.

Akhmed Tazhudinov / Photo: © Russian Wrestling Federation

Sadulayev tried to save the fight, but gave away points over and over again. In one of the episodes, a Russian tank injured his neck and was unable to continue the fight. Abdulrashid was lying on the carpet and could not get up. At his debut World Championship, young Tazhudinov stormed into the finals, knocking out two mega-wrestlers in a row!

If Sadulaev’s injury is not critical, then in the bronze fight he can meet with his old acquaintance Snyder. True, for this the American needs to win the first consolation round. Who would have thought that the legendary confrontation between the Russian tank and Snyderman would not have a classic ending, but only a bronze one? If it happens at all.