Oksana Herhel was all smiles after winning the gold medal at 60 kilos (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)The Ukrainian wrestler competed at the non-Olympic weight of 60 kilos, but had one of the best performances of the tournament in dominating defending World champion Sukhee Tsendichmed (Mongolia) in the 2015 championship finals.
Herhel is athletic and tough and is only second in technical proficiency to Kaori Icho. That technical acumen may be necessary next year as Herhel goes down to 58 kilos to challenge Icho in a hope to stop the Japanese star's almost pre-ordained fourth Olympic title.
Natalia Vorobieva (Russia)
Though a 2012 Olympic champion, a lot had been said of Vorobieva's recent inability to win when it mattered most. She's racked up several losses in 2013 and 2014 and failed to win World titles in both years. Though stronger and more athletic than most of her 69-kilo competition, she's somehow limited herself to a few select throws and carries from her feet. In some matchups, in some tournaments that has meant embarrassing defeat. However, in Las Vegas it all came together.
Vorobieva now enters Rio as a likely repeat Olympic champion, and among women she'd be the first upperweight to achieve back-to-back Olympic gold medals. But to do so she will need to continue improving her technical proficiency. Zhou Feng, who she cradled in the World finals, isn't likely to fall victim to the same move and since there are two fewer matches at the Olympics than the World Championships, she's also likely to be fresh.
Vladimer Khinchegashvili came from behind to win in the gold-medal match (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)A terror when on the offensive, Khinchegashvili went fisticuffs during the European Games semifinals, preventing some competitors and fans from being reminded of what he's capable of achieving at a large tournament. Stout and spritely, Khinchegashvili is almost incomparable with his quickness and mat savvy.
In a year with so much concentration of the Koreans and the Russians, Khinchegashvili proved that the 57-kilo Olympic title will have to go through Georgia and not the traditional powerhouses.
Kyle Snyder (United States)
If he'd come from Russia more credit would be given to the system and his future, but make no mistake, Kyle Snyder is the real deal. At only 19 years old the Ohio State sophomore knocked off the 2012 Olympic champion in the Trials and then opened up his World Championships with a win over a World silver medalist. After a day of solid wrestling he finished off his workman-like performance with a stunning 5-5 win over legendary Abdulsalam Gadisov.
What was most impressive about Snyder was his maturity on the mat and his ability to navigate close matches. You only need to look at James Green (who was himself impressive at times) to see the difference between extraordinary talent and the added benefit of mature game-planning. It also doesn't hurt that at 19 Snyder has the old-man strength of a 35-year-old lumberjack.
Snyder's mobility, strength, conditioning and strategy all played a part in his success and heading into the 2016 Olympics he'll be as much a favorite to win Olympic gold as Jordan Burroughs.
Taha Akgul celebrates after winning his second straight World title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Almost tortuously overlooked among the best-ever names in the sport, Taha Akgul has become an absolute dominant force in freestyle wrestling. It's been years since he last lost, and while Jordan Burroughs and other have collected more titles, nobody looks as dominant as Akgul over the past two years.
A giant of a man without the barrel-chested build of his Greco-Roman compatriot Reza Kayaalp, Akgul hasn't been scored on all season and almost without fanfare teched his finals opponent in Las Vegas.
No wrestler was more dominant in Vegas than Akgul and no wrestler is as surefire a gold medalist come Rio than the Turkish heavyweight.
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