Paris Preview: Dake tops the list of gold medal favorites at 74 kg

Four-time World champion and 2023 World silver medalist Kyle Dake of the USA gets the No. 1 seed at this weight class and is considered the top favorite to win the Olympic gold. Dake won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and beat a talented field in the U.S. Olympic Trials to get his Olympic return trip. Zaurbek Sidakov of Russia, who beat Dake last year, is not in Paris. 

His half-bracket will include No. 4 Daichi Takatani of Japan, No. 5 Hetic Cabalov of Serbia of Japan and No. 8 Bacar Ndum of Guinea Bissau. Takatani won a 2023 World bronze medals and won a pair of age-group World medals. Ndum is a two-time African champion who qualified at the Africa/Oceania Olympic Qualifier.

The No. 2 seed is Turan Bayramov of Azerbaijan, who has been an age-group World champion at the U17 and U23 levels. A 2020 Olympian, Bayramov qualified for Paris through the European Olympic Qualifier and was also fifth at the 2021 and 2023 Senior Worlds

His half-bracket will include No. 3 Georgios Kougioumtsidis of Greece, No. 6 Feng Lu of China and No. 7 Tajmuraz Salkazanov of Slovakia. Kougioumtsidis was fifth at the 2023 Senior Worlds, won two straight U23 European titles and boasts an age-group World medal. Lu was seventh at the 2023 World Championships and was a 2023 Asian U23 champion. Salkazanov is a two-time Senior World silver medalist, a World bronze medalist and a 2018 U23 World champion.

The top star being drawn into the bracket is Frank Chamizo of Italy, a two-time World champion and Olympic medalist who did not initially qualify for Paris. With the IOC selection of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and the subsequent withdrawl of Russia and Belarus athletes, Chamizo got in. Another veteran to watch is four-time World medalist Geandry Garzon of Cuba.

Past U23 World champions Chermen Valiev of Albania and Razambek Jamalov of Uzbekistan are also in the draw. 2024 Asian silver medalist Viktor Rassadin of Tajikistan, who qualified through the final World Olympic Qualifier, was a 2016 World University champion for Russia. Also in the field are Amir Hussen of Egypt, Anthony Montero Chirinos of Venezuela and Individual Neutral Athlete Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau.

74 kg MFS Seeded Wrestlers

No. 1 Kyle DAKE (USA)

No. 2 Turan BAYRAMOV (AZE)

No. 3 Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE)

No. 4 Daichi TAKATANI (JPN)

No. 5 Hetik CABALOV (SRB)

No. 6 Feng LU (CHN)

No. 7 Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK)

No. 8 Bacar NDUM (GBS)

74 kg MFS Olympians (to be drawn in)

Mahamedkhabib KADZIMAHAMEDAU (AIN)

Chermen VALIEV (ALB)

Geandry GARZON CABALLERO (CUB)

Amr HUSSEN (EGY)

Iman MAHDAVI (EOR)

Yones EMAMI (IRI)

Frank CHAMIZO (ITA)

Viktor RASSADIN (TJK)

Razambek JAMALOV (UZB)

Anthony MONTERO CHIRINOS (VEN)

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

Friday, August 9, 2024

11:00 a.m. - Repechage Men’s Freestyle 57-86 kg and Women’s Freestyle 57 kg

11:30 a.m. - Round of 16 and Quarterfinals - Men’s Freestyle 74-125 kg and Women’s Freestyle 62 kg.

6:15 p.m. - Semifinals - Men’s Freestyle 74-125 kg and Women’s Freestyle 62 kg

7:15 p.m. - Medal Rounds in Men’s Freestyle 57-86 kg and Women’s Freestyle 57kg

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