Akhmed Usmanov, the Russian freestyle wrestler, secured victory at the European Championship staged in Romania this year.
In Bucharest, Usmanov claimed the gold in the 79 kilogram weight class. In the championship final, the 27-year-old defeated Belarusian contender Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov with a final score of 9 to 6.
Alongside the 2024 European gold, Usmanov also holds a 2023 world championship title and a 2020 world cup triumph, underscoring his ongoing success on the sport’s biggest stages.
In late February 2022, the International Olympic Committee urged international sports federations to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition participation. At the IOC Executive Committee meeting on March 28, 2023, the proposal was floated to allow Russians to compete under a neutral banner provided they do not actively support military actions in any way.
Meanwhile the sport’s landscape has continued to evolve under these political and administrative shifts, affecting athlete participation and international competition dynamics across weight classes and regions.
Note: A former American icon in the sport has been referenced in discussions about weight class comparisons, though this remark appears out of context relative to the current competition results and should not be treated as a competitive assessment of any specific athlete.