Two-time world champion Zavur Uguev of Russia (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)As of today, we under 50 days from the start of wrestling at the Olympic Games. Over the next 50 days, we'll bring you one profile per day of a decorated international contender. Make sure you get to know the wrestlers that Team USA will compete against in Tokyo.
6/27/21 - Zhan Beleniuk (Ukraine)
6/26/21 - Sergey Kozyrev (Russia)
6/24/21 - Kenchiro Fumita (Japan)
6/23/21 - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (Belarus)
6/22/21 - Erica Wiebe (Canada)
6/21/21 - Myles Amine (San Marino)
6/20/21 - Sofia Mattsson (Sweden)
6/19/21 - Hassan Yazdani Charati (Iran)
6/18/21 - Tamas Lorincz (Hungary)
6/17/21 - Takuro Otoguro (Japan)
6/16/21 - Elizbar Odikadze (Georgia)
6/15/21 - Koumba Larroque (France)
6/14/21 - Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
6/13/21 - Ningning Rong (China)
6/12/21 - Bajrang Punia (India)
6/11/21 - Frank Staebler (Germany)
6/10/21 - Geno Petriashvili (Georgia)
#1 Zavur Uguev of Russia has been the pinnacle of lightweight consistency for Russia throughout the 2016-2020. National titles in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 have cemented him as the king in one of the most stacked weight classes domestically. Back-to-back world titles from 2018 to 2019 cemented him the number one spot internationally and top-five status pound-for-pound. But before he goes into Tokyo as the favorite to win Russia's first Olympic title at the weight since Mavlet Batirov in 2004, we have to start at the beginning. Today's Olympic profile will be looking at top-ranked 57 KG gold medal contender Zavur Uguev of Russia.
The Stats
#1 Zavur Uguev (RUS)- 2x world champion ('18,' 19), 4x Russian Nationals champion ('17, '18, '20,' 21), 2x Cadet world champion ('11,' 12), 2x Yarygin champion ('17,' 18), 2x European medalist ('17,' 18), 2019 European Games bronze medalist, 2020 Individual World Cup champion, 2019 Ali Aliev champion
Key Wins: #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (2017 Intercontinental Cup finals, 2017 Kunaev finals) #2 Suleyman Atli (2019 world finals), #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (2018 world finals), #3 Nachyn Mongush (2021 Russian Nationals finals), #4 Azamat Tuskaev (2018 Yarygin, 2019 Ali Aliev finals, 2020 Russian Nationals finals), #5 Ravi Kumar (2019 world championships), #6 Yuki Takahashi (2018 world championships), #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (2019 world championships), #10 Aryan Tyutrin ( 2016 Yarygin, 2019 Russian National Team wrestle-off), Artyom Gebekov (2017 Yarygin finals, 2017 Russian Nationals finals, 2017 Alans semifinals)
Key Losses: #2 Suleyman Atli (2017 Yasar Dogu), Makhir Amiraslanov (2019 European Games), #4 Azamat Tuskaev (2017 Alans finals), Artyom Gebekov (2016 Ali Aliev, 2016 Kunaev), Dzhamal Otarsultanov (2016 Russian Nationals), Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (2016 Ali Aliyev bronze medal match), Giorgi Edisherashvili (2017 & 2018 European championships), Sandeep Tomar (2017 world championships)
2012-2016
Starting off his career with two Cadet world titles at 42 and 46 KG, Uguev made the move up to the Junior level, where he would tech fall #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR) in the finals of the 50 KG Junior World Championships. Along with two-time Cadet world champion #1 (97) Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS), Zavur Uguev was the hottest prospect in the world yet to make his Senior level debut going into 2014. But Uguev's bright career would take a sudden detour when he tested positive for a banned diuretic after the 2013 Junior World Championships and was handed a two-year ban from competition.
Uguev's much-anticipated return would be at the 2016 Russian Nationals and he faced the stiffest test of his career in the form of 2012 Olympic champion Dzhamal Otarsultanov. Uguev gave the Chechen Olympic champion all he could handle but fell in his Senior debut 5-2 to the eventual bronze medalist. Uguev would make a quick turnaround and compete again at the prestigious Ali Aliyev tournament finishing fifth after losses to champion Artyom Gebekov (RUS) and bronze medalist Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov (KGZ). Uguev's first senior triumph would come at the Intercontinental Cup, where he would take gold with wins over future Russian Nationals finalists Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS), Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS), and 2016 Penn State national champion Nico Megaludis (USA). Uguev's 2016 concluded with a bronze medal at the Kunaev, where he fell again to rival Gebekov.
2017-2019
While finishing 2016 with two medals and showing himself capable of hanging in with the best at the weight, Uguev's breakthrough in 2017 was a shock to plenty of fans. Many saw the likes of Ismail Musukaev, Nariman Israpilov, and Artyom Gebekov as the frontrunners to take the reigns at 57 KG with the retirement of two-time world champion Victor Lebedev at the end of the Olympics. While Uguev was acknowledged as a contender, he wasn't by any means the frontrunner for the spot to start 2017. But that would all change with the Yarygin.
Uguev was a man possessed on his way to the Yarygin finals. With each match, the competition got harder and harder and Uguev continued to shine even brighter. A rematch of the Intercontinental Cup finals against Magomedrasul Idrisov (RUS) was an 11-0 tech fall for Uguev. Nurtilek Ermekbaev (RUS) was able to score one point on Uguev for a 12-1 tech fall loss. Two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR) was an 8-2 bulldozing for Uguev. Now stepping against the upper echelon of contenders against 2013 World bronze medalist Nariman Israpilov (RUS), Uguev was expected to falter; it was a good run to the semis, but Israpilov would stop the young bull. Uguev thrashed the veteran Israpilov 8-3 and put the world on notice that he was the man to beat. Artyom Gebekov made the finals and had two past wins over Uguev from 2016, of anyone in the field, he should be the most capable of slowing the rise of the Kumyk hammer. Uguev's vast arsenal of offense was on display throughout the finals as he left no doubt in mind that he was the better man with a 10-0 win over Gebekov for Yarygin gold. Uguev hadn't just arrived; he had taken over.
A rival from the past would come to take on Uguev in the form of 2016 Olympian #2 Suleyman Atli of Turkey. A runner-up to Uguev at the 2013 50 KG Cadet World Championships, Atli had reestablished himself as a title contender going into the 2016 Olympics with wins over world medalists Vasyl Shuptar (UKR) and #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (MGL). An upset loss to Ivan Guidea (ROU) slowed Atli's momentum, but in a weight where the top six placers had moved up to 61 KG, Atli was suddenly in the shortlist of men who could contend for gold in Paris. A rematch four years in the making would come to fruition at the Yasar Dogu and in one of the top matches of the year, Atli was able to come out victorious 7-5 and go on to win gold over 2015 Junior World champion Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE).
A rubber match between Uguev and Atli was the logical summation of the European Championships and with both men, on opposite ends of the bracket, it looked to be set in stone they'd see each other. But a pair of resurgent veterans would cut those plans short with a couple of semifinal victories. A 2013 European champion for Georgia, Giorgi Edisherashvili, transferred to Azerbaijan and, after a three-year absence, made his debut for them in 2016, capturing Yasar Dogu bronze and gold at the Baku Golden Grand Prix. Capitalizing off a pivotal flurry, Edisherashvili would upset Uguev 5-1 to make the finals against Andrei Dukov (ROU), the Dan Kolov champion who had upset Atli 7-6 in his semifinal bout. Both Uguev and Atli would rebound with bronze medal finishes, but their consistency as guaranteed title contenders for world gold was put into question leading up to Paris.
While there was doubt about Uguev's contention status internationally, his performance at Russian Nationals proved definitively that he not only didn't miss a step, but had gone up another level. 34-5 was the scoring differential between Uguev and his opponents on his way to the finals against the likes of Russian Nationals medalists Ramazan Ferzaliev, #10 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR), Rasul Mashezov (RUS) and Dmitry Aksenov (RUS). In their fourth meeting, Uguev would beat a defensively stingy Gebekov 3-1 and secure his spot in Paris and chance at world gold.
The second half of Uguev's 2017 would be a strange one. As a consensus medal contender in Paris, Uguev dropped a lopsided 8-2 opening round match to 2016 Olympian Sandeep Tomar (IND). With Tomar losing by 14-3 tech fall to eventual world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN), Uguev was eliminated from the competition. A title at the Intercontinental Cup over #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) recovered Uguev's momentum going into the inaugural Alans tournament in Vladikavkaz, Russia. A 5-3 win in their semifinal match would give Uguev his fifth match against Artyom Gebekov and secure his spot in the finals opposite U-23 European runner-up #4 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS). A two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist, Tuskaev's renowned underhook series, short offense and reattacks made him a Russian National and world title contender when he was on, but consistency had always been a major issue with the talented North Ossetian. Against Uguev, Tuskaev put in one of his best performances of his career, beating Uguev 7-4 for Alans gold. Competing in his final competition of 2017, Uguev won gold against #1 (61) Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS) at the D.A. Kunaev tournament, to complete an incredible 8 tournaments on the year with seven medals.
While not on par with the dominance he showed in 2017, Uguev's second Yarygin title won him revenge for his Alans finals match against Tuskaev and gold to begin the year. A Dan Kolov title over 2014 European championships bronze medalist Zoheir El Ouarrage (FRA) was a warmup for the European championships. Stevan Micic (SRB), Zoheir El Ourarage (FRA) and Levan Metrevelli Vartanov (ESP) would all fall to Uguev to set up his rematch against reigning European champion Giorgi Edisherashvili (AZE). Leading 3-1 throughout the match, Uguev would fall prey to a lethal Edisherashvili lat drop and lose 5-3.
As he had done in 2017, Uguev used the lessons learned from his loss at the European Championships to springboard him to a Russian Nationals title, winning gold over Yarygin Donduk-Ool Khuresh Ool (RUS). Not only a shot at redemption but a chance at gold, Uguev would look sublime at the World Championships in Budapest. Outscoring the likes of Mihran Jaburyan (ARM), 2017 U-23 world champion #16 Reineri Andreu Ortega (CUB) and returning world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN) 24-2, Uguev would make his first world finals. Awaiting him would be #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ), surging off of dominant wins over returning world runner-up Thomas Gilman (USA) and #2 Suleyman Atli (TUR). In one of the most tightly contested matches of the World Championships, Uguev would walk away with a controversial 4-3 win over Sanayev for his first world title.
Fresh off the biggest achievement of his career, Uguev would not make his 2019 debut until May at the Ali Aliyev. Beating a pair of U-23 world medalists in Parviz Ibrahimov (AZE) and Wanhao Zou (CHN), Uguev was given a chance at revenge in a rubber match against 3x European champion Edisherashvili in the quarterfinals. In one of his biggest tests of the tournament, Uguev blew through Edisherashvili, tech falling the Georgian veteran in the first period 10-0. 2018 Pan-Am champion Andreu Ortega would hold Uguev one point closer in a 9-0 semifinal loss. In their third finals match opposite each other, Uguev would take the series lead 2-1 with a 3-0 win over #4 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS). As Uguev was competing at the European Games at the end of June and with Russian Nationals in the first week of July, he was exempt from competing and would take on the winner. Going into his third European Championships/Games appearance, Uguev was determined to improve upon his bronze and silver medal performances, but a loss in the semifinals to Makhir Amiraslanov (AZE) would shut out his chances at gold and relegate him to a bronze medal.
The qualification process in 2019 for Russia would be different, quite different. Because of the scheduling issues with the European Games and Russian Nationals, returning national champions/world team members got a bye for a wrestle-off at national team trials. Now, this worked out two ways: 86 KG had #3 (86) Artur Naifonov (RUS) winning Russian Nationals over 2017 world bronze medalist #9 (86) Vladislav Valiev (RUS) and then go to the Ziolkowski as a qualifying event to wrestle against returning national champion #4 (86) Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). Kurugliev gets upset by #8 (92) Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) and Naifonov gets the spot. 57 KG was different in that Russia sent national champion #11 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) and #10 Aryan Tyutrin (BLR) to decide who'd wrestle Uguev at the training camp. Now Tyutrin beats Gamzatov and returning world runner-up #8 (61) Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ), so he locks up the wrestle-off spot at the national team camp and loses to Uguev, who goes to worlds. A lot of steps, but still not as confusing as the Yianni/Zain qualifying in 2019.
Uguev's bracket at the World Championships was absolutely brutal. An opening-round rematch from the European Games against Amiraslanov was a razor-thin 4-3 victory. Two-time world bronze medalist #8 Bekhbayar Erdenebat (MGL) was next and Uguev crafted a more convincing 5-2 win to put him in the quarters opposite #17 Reza Atri (IRI). 2-0 was the margin of victory for Uguev and now in the semis, he'd have to take out surging #5 Ravi Kumar (IND), who was coming off wins over 61 KG European champion Arsen Harutyanyan (ARM) and 2017 world champion #6 Yuki Takahashi (JPN). A huge fireman's carry would elevate Uguev to a 6-4 win over the talented Indian and his second world finals. A rematch now three years in the making, Uguev would finally get his third match against Atli. A 1-0 lead in the opening period for Uguev was blown wide open to a 13-3 margin in the second that secured the tech fall win and world gold. After running the gauntlet to make the finals and against his toughest competition he'd ever faced, Uguev had come out on top and the man to beat for Tokyo, a far cry from the letdown of the start of the quad in 2017.
Even with the shortened season, Zavur Uguev was still able to cement himself as the consensus top man at 57 KG. A third Russian Nationals title over Yarygin and European champion Tuskaev qualified Uguev for the Individual World Cup. The Individual World Cup would serve as the unofficial replacement for the World/Olympic championships but could not officially be considered a World/Olympic championships since it did not have all the top returning countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with that being the case, Uguev was at the most dominant he's ever been, scoring four tech falls and a pin on his way to gold over Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM).
This year Uguev has further cemented his reputation as a dominant technical savant with his fourth Russian Nationals title over #3 Nachyn Mongush (RUS) and gold at the City of Sassari tournament. In a field in Tokyo that is largely the same as the ones Uguev won in impressive fashion in Budapest and Nursultan, I expect to see him bring home title number three and establish himself as one of the all-time lightweight greats of this generation.
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