Paris Preview: Snyder seeks return to top of Olympic podium, third-straight Olympic medal

Magomedkham Magomedov of Azerbaijan gets the No. 1 seed at this weight class. Magomedov won a 2023 World silver medal and a 2022 World bronze medal. He was a Junior World champion for Russia in 2018 and switched nations in 2022.

His half-bracket will include No. 4 Ibrahim Ciftci of Turkey, No. 5 Givi Matcharashvili of Georgia and No. 8 Zbigniew Baranowski of Poland. Ciftci was fifth in the 2023 World Championships and was a European bronze medalist the last two years. His top age-group achievement was a 2017 U23 World bronze. Matcharashvili has claimed Senior World bronze medals the last two years and has claimed two straight European titles. Baranowski competed in the 2016 Olympic Games and has competed is seven Senior Worlds without a medal.

The No. 2 seed is sensational young Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain, the 2023 World champion, who beat Olympic champions Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia and Kyle Snyder of the USA in his World debut. Originally from Russia, he did not represent them internationally at all. Tazhudinov has won eight of the nine international events he has entered for Bahrain.

His half-bracket features 2016 Olympic champion and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Kyle Snyder at the No. 3 seed. Snyder is one of the world’s greatest and most consistent stars. Winner of a World or Olympic medal for nine straight seasons, Snyder has won three World gold medals to go with his Olympic title. He aims to join an elite group of three-time Olympic medalists. Fans are focusing on a monumental Tazhudinov vs. Snyder rematch in the semifinals.

No. 6 Eric Thiele of Germany and No. 7 Alisher Yergali of Kazakhstan are also in the bottom half-bracket, neither with a Senior World-level medal. Thiele was a 2016 World silver medalist, while Yergali has a U23 World bronze and a U20 World silver.

The top name being drawn into the bracket is Amirali Azarpira of Iran, a 2021 and 2022 U23 World champion who qualified through the Asian Olympic qualifier. Moldova’s Radu Lefter was a 2021 U23 World silver medalist. Arutro Silot Torres of Cuba was a 2021 Pan American Games champion and qualified at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. 2021 Asian silver medalist Awusayiman Habila of China, Qualifying through Africa/Oceania were Mostafa Elders of Egypt and Nicolaas De Lange of South Africa. Also competing are Luis Perez Sosa of the Dominican Republic and Murazi Mchedlidze of Ukraine.

97 kg MFS Seeded Wrestlers

No. 1 Magomedkhan MAGOMEDOV (AZE)

No. 2 Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)

No. 3 Kyle SNYDER (USA)

No. 4 Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)

No. 5 Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO)

No. 6 Erik THIELE (GER)

No. 7 Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)

No. 8 Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL)

97 kg MFS Olympians (to be drawn in)

Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)

Arturo SILOT TORRES (CUB)

Luis PEREZ SOSA (DOM)

Mostafa ELDERS (EGY)

Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI)

Radu LEFTER (MDA)

Nicolaas DE LANGE (RSA)

Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR)

(Local Paris time, six hours ahead of U.S. time zone)

Saturday, August 10, 2024

11:00 a.m. - Repechage Men’s Freestyle 74-125 kg and Women’s Freestyle 62 kg

11:30 a.m. - Round of 16 and Quarterfinals - Men’s Freestyle 65-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 76 kg

6:15 p.m. - Semifinals - Men’s Freestyle 65-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 76 kg

7:15 p.m. - Medal Rounds in Men’s Freestyle 74-125 kg and Women’s Freestyle 62 kg

Sunday, August 11, 2024

11:00 a.m. - Repechage Men’s Freestyle 65-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 76 kg

12:00 noon - Medal Rounds in Men’s Freestyle 65-97 kg and Women’s Freestyle 76 kg