Tokyo Olympics Wrestling LIVE – Abdulrashid SADULAEV vs Kyle Snyder LIVE: The World’s biggest Wrestling bout & rivalry will be played tonite. In FINAL action, another chapter will be added to the storybook rivalry between Rio Olympic champions Abdulrashid SADULAEV (ROC) and Kyle SNYDER (USA) after the two advanced to the freestyle 97kg final in oddly similar manners – Follow all LIVE Updates of the fight on InsideSport.co
Tokyo Olympics Wrestling LIVE – Abdulrashid SADULAEV vs Kyle Snyder LIVE: Check how they won their Semifinals – Sadulaev earned an activity point and three step-outs in beating a defensive Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB) 4-0, while Snyder did the same with 2020 European 92kg champion Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), except he had one more stepout in a 5-0 victory.
“I feel good, I’m looking forward to today’s bout,” Snyder said. “I think about [Sadulaev] a good bit, but I’m just ready to wrestle again, ready to go….I’ve wrestled better each match and tomorrow night I will wrestle my best.”
The BEGINNING of the RIVALRY – Sadulaev vs Snyder live: Sadulaev was just 20 when he won the 86kg gold at the Rio Olympics, where a 21-year-old Snyder triumphed at 97kg.
BATTLE 1 – Sadulaev vs Snyder live: Sadulaev moved up to 97kg the next year, and their paths first crossed in the final at the 2017 World Championships in Paris, where Snyder prevailed to take the gold.
BATTLE 2 – Sadulaev vs Snyder live:But the tide turned Sadulaev’s way after that, as he avenged the loss the next year in the final in Budapest. At the 2019 World Championships, a third clash never came about after Snyder lost in the semifinals to 2012 London Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE), whom Sadulaev beat for his second straight world title and fourth overall.
Leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, Sadulaev made it to the final at the Ranking Series Ali Aliev tournament in June, but defaulted the final to Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB) due to injury.
Sadulaev appears to be at full strength in Tokyo as, starting with a 5-0 win in the opening round against Sharifov, he did not concede a point in any of his matches.
Tokyo Olympics Wrestling LIVE – In 65kg Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) vs Haji Aliyev LIVE
It was very good day for the home team–albeit without spectators to see and cheer them on — when former world champions Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Yui SUSAKI (JPN) both knocked off a reigning world titlist to make their respective finals.
Otoguro’s run into the freestyle 65kg final has to be regarded as the more extraordinary, in that he needed to beat both of the wrestlers who defeated him at the 2019 World Championships.
Having gotten past Iszmail MUSAZUKAJEV (HUN), who beat him in the bronze-medal match in Nur-Sultan, his path to the final was blocked by world champion Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (ROC). The memory of the 8-1 pasting he was handed by the Russian in the first round has been a motivating factor ever since.
It was a very different outcome in Tokyo, as 2018 world champion Otoguro scored a first-period takedown and a second-period stepout, then held on despite giving up two penalty points for a 3-2 victory.
“This is my first Olympics final so I am so excited for that,” Otoguro said. “After the Games were postponed, I worked on strategy with my coach to how to win the gold here. And now I am going to basics and keep following them.”
In the final, Otoguro will face another familiar face from Nur-Sultan in Rio 2016 bronze medalist Haji ALIEV (AZE), who advanced with an impressive 12-5 victory over the ever-dangerous Bajrang PUNIA (IND). At the 2019 worlds, Otoguro defeated Aliev 11-9 in a wild and very tempestous repechage match.
Susaki, a two-time world champion who has never lost to a non-Japanese opponent, will look to achieve her dream of an Olympic gold medal when she faces Rio bronze medalist Yanan SUN (CHN) — an opponent she has already beaten three times.
Susaki made the final with an 11-0 technical fall of reigning world champion Mariya STADNIK (AZE), who once again failed to scale a Japanese wall at the Olympics.
Susaki, who had beaten Stadnik in two previous meetings including the final of the 2018 worlds, broke open a conservative match in the second period with a 4-point front headlock roll, to which she added a succession of lace locks to end the encounter at 3:47.
“It’s a dream come true,” Susaki said. “I have waited for this for 8 years. I was the flag bearer [at the opening ceremony] with the basketball player [Rui HACHIMURA] so it was huge honor and I am very proud to represent Japan. I can’t wait for tomorrow and will give my best.”
The 33-year-old Stadnik will now go for her fourth Olympic medal in the bronze-medal match, without any of them being gold. She lost in the London 2012 final to Hitomi OBARA (JPN) and the Rio 2016 final to Eri TOSAKA (JPN).
Sun showed that no lead is safe against her as she pulled off a stunning comeback victory over Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), scoring a 4-point lateral drop with 3 seconds left for a 10-7 victory.
“I’m very happy to get into the final,” Sun said. “It was a high-tension match and this match told me I have to never give up during a match.”
Hildebrandt, the 2018 world silver medalist, dominated the match against the three-time world medalist, building up a 7-1 lead in the first period. But Sun stormed back in the second, gradually cutting the gap with a front headlock roll and takedown before nailing her big move.
“My opponent became too passive because I knew she wanted not to lose any further points until the end of the match,” Sun said. “I thought I still had plenty of time to make a comeback. To be honest, I was not considering the time so much, I just tried my best to stay calm and find my chance to win.”
While Susaki is 3-0 head-to-head against Sun, their last encounter was close, a 3-2 by Susaki at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Day 6 Results
Freestyle
65kg
SF1 – Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) df. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (ROC), 3-2
SF2 – Haji ALIYEV (AZE) df. Bajrang PUNIA (IND), 12-5
74kg
GOLD – Zaurbek SIDAKOV (ROC) df. Mahamadkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (BLR), 7-0
BRONZE – Kyle DAKE (USA) df. Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), 5-0
BRONZE – Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) df. Daniyar KAISANOV (KAZ) by TF, 13-2, 2:13
97kg
SF1 – Abdulrashid SADULAEV (ROC) df. Reineris SALAS PEREZ (CUB), 4-0
SF2 – Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Suleyman KARADENIZ (TUR), 5-0
125kg
GOLD – Gable STEVESON (USA) df. Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO), 10-8
BRONZE – Amir ZARE (IRI) df, Zhiwei DENG (CHN), 5-0
BRONZE – Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL), 5-0
Women’s Wrestling
50kg
SF1 – Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Mariya STADNIK (AZE) by TF, 11-0, 3:47
SF2 – Yunan SUN (CHN) df. Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA), 10-7
53kg
GOLD – Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) df. Qianyu PANG (CHN), 5-4
BRONZE – Vanesa KALADZINSKAYA (BLR) df. Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) by Fall, 2:09 (4-0)
BRONZE – Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) df. Joseph ESSOMBE TIAKO (CMR) by TF, 14-4, 2:37