Hildebrandt, Bey, Rau receive draws for Tuesday’s wrestling at the Olympic Games in Paris

PARIS, France - The next three U.S. wrestlers scheduled to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 have received their draws for their preliminary competition on Tuesday.

Competing on Tuesday morning in women’s freestyle is 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and four-time Senior World medalist Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg, as well as U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers Kamal Bey at 77 kg and Joe Rau at 97 kg.

Hildebrandt, the No. 6 seed, will open against four-time African bronze medalist Ibtissem Doudou of Algeria in the opening match.

Should Hildebrandt win, she will face the winner of the match between No. 3 seed Ziqi Feng of China and Nada Mohamed of Egypt in the quarterfinals. Feng, a 2023 World bronze medalist, was second in the 2024 Asian Championships and a 2019 U23 World silver medalist. Mohamed is a two-time age-group World medalist.

If Hildebrandt reaches the semifinals, the athletes in the quarter bracket who could emerge as semifinalists include No. 2 seed Otgonjargal Dolgorjav of Mongolia, No. 7 seed Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan, Anastasia Blayvas of Germany and Emanuela Liuzzi of Italy. Dolgorjav is a three-time Senior World medalist, with silver medals in 2022 and 2023. Stadnik is a four-time Olympic medalist (silvers in 2012 and 2016, bronzes in 2008 and 2020) and two-time World champion, Blayvas was a 2023 World bronze medalist and has won two age-group World medals.

Liuzzi was on the 2023 Italian Senior World Team and has competed in eight age-group World Championships without a medal.

Bey and Rau are competing in their first Olympic Games. Bey has been on three Senior World Teams, while Rau has been on two Senior World Teams. Both were unseeded and drew No. 3 seeds in their opening match.

Bey opens against No. 3 seed Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan, a 2022 and 2023 World champion and a 2020 Olympic silver medalist.

If Bey wins his first match, his quarterfinal opponents would be the winner of the match between No. 6 seed Demeu Zhadrayev of Kazakhstan and Jair Cuero of Colombia. Zhadrayev was a 2017 World silver medalist and a 2020 Tokyo Olympian. Cuero, who has not won a medal in seven World Championships, qualified through the 2024 Pan American Olympic Qualifier.

Should Bey reach the semifinals, the athletes in the other quarter bracket who could emerge as semifinalists include No. 2 seed Sanan Suleymanov of Azerbaijan, No. 7 seed Zoltan Levai of Hungary, Burhan Akbudak of Turkey and Aik Mnatsakanian of Bulgaria. Suleymanov has collected two World silver medals in 2021 and 2023. Levai was a 2022 World silver medalist and won four age-group World medals. Akbudak was a 2022 World champion and 2021 World silver medalist. Mnatsakanian is a two-time World bronze medalist (2018 and 2019).

Rau opens against No. 3 seed Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran, a 2021 World champion and two-time World bronze medalist (2022 and 2023).

Should Rau win his first bout, his quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of the match between No. 6 seed Mindaugas Venckaitis of Lithuania, a European Olympic Qualifier finalist, and Uzur Dzhuzupbekov of Kyrgyzstan. Venckaitis was fifth in the 2023 Senior Worlds. Dzhuzupbekov was a 2020 Olympian and was a 2019 Asian champion.

If Rau makes the semifinals, athletes in the other quarter bracket who could emerge as semifinalists are No. 2 seed Abubakar Khaslakhanau, an Individual Neutral Athlete, No. 7 seed Mihail Kajaia of Serbia, Mohamed Ali Elsayed Gabr of Egypt and Roberti Kobliashvili of Georgia. Khaslakhanau was a 2023 U20 World champion. Kajaia is a two-time World bronze medalist. Gabr was a 2022 African champion, and qualified through the African/Oceania Qualifier. Kobliashvili is a two-time World bronze medalist (2017 and 2018).

All three of these U.S. athletes will compete in the first session on Tuesday, which begins at 11:00 a.m. Paris time, after the completion of the repechage from Monday’s weight classes (60 kg GR, 130 kg GR, 68 kg WFS). The session will feature the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals in all three weights.

Paris is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time zone, meaning this session begins at 5:00 a.m. ET. All of the wrestling action is broadcast live on Peacock.

OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024

At Paris, France

U.S. Greco-Roman first round draws for Tuesday

77 kg– Kamal Bey (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP)

Vs. Akzhol Makhmudov (Kyrgyzstan), 2022 and 2023 World champion, 2020 Olympic silver medalist, 2016 U17 World champion

97 kg– Joe Rau (Chicago, Ill./Titan Mercury WC)

Vs. Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran), 2021 World champion, 2022 and 2023 World bronze medalist, 2018 U20 World champion.

U.S. women’s freestyle first round draws for Tuesday

50 kg – Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC)

Vs. Ibtissem Doudou (Algeria), four-time African champion