125 kg FS - AUGUST 20 Akgul, Makhov are top big men
Winning the last two World Championship gold medals has been Taha Akgul of Turkey, who also boasts a 2013 World bronze medal. Akgul has won three European Championships plus the 2015 European Games and also won two World University gold medals. He has been dominant in many of his match- es against top rivals, giving him great confidence going into Rio. Three-time World champion Bilyal Makhov of Russia won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. He has won five World freestyle medals, with a silver in 2011 and a bronze in 2015. He has also won World bronze medals in Greco- Roman in both 2014 and 2015. A two- time Junior World champion as well, Makhov is big, strong and skilled. 2015 World silver medalist and 2011
World bronze medalist Jamaladdin Magomedov of Azerbaijan is another top contender. He competed in the 2012 Olympics but did not place. 2013 and 2015 World bronze medalist Geno Petriashvili of Georgia was also a Junior World champion in 2013. He won the 2016 European Championships as well. 2009 and 2014 World bronze medalist
Tervel Dlagnev of the United States is returning to the Olympics after placing fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Dlagnev was also fifth at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships. A University World champion in 2008, Dlagnev is as experienced and talented as any of the athletes in the draw.
2012 Olympic bronze medalist Komiel Ghasemi also won a World silver medal in 2014. Ghasemi also won the Asian Olympic Qualifier. Levan Berianidze of Armenia won a 2010 World bronze medal when he was wrestling for Georgia. He earned his spot in Rio by placing fifth at the 2015 World Championships for his new nation. Chuluunbat Jargalsaikhan of Mongolia has been fifth in the World twice (2011 and 2015) and has been a medalist at the Asian Championships for a number of years.
Daulet Shabanbay of Kazakhstan, who
was fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games, qualified by placing second in the Asian Olympic Qualifier. Aiaal Lazarev of Kyrgyzstan, a 2015 Asian champion, is another veteran competitor in the draw. Deng Zhiwei of China won the 1st
World Olympic Qualifier in Mongolia and was a 2013 World Military champion. Ukraine has chosen 2013 World silver medalist Alen Zasieiev over Oleksandr Khotsianivski to compete in Rio. Zasieiev qualified Ukraine at the European Olympic Qualifier, but was then disquali- fied for testing positive for meldonium. Khotsianivski claimed the gold at the 2nd World Olympic Qualifier in Turkey to get Ukraine back in. When the IOC clarified the procedures for meldonium testing, UWW reinstated Zasieiev, who was then selected by Ukraine for the Games Winning the Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier was Diaaeldin Abdelmottaleb of Egypt, who also won the 2016 African Championships.
Tervel Dlagnev: by John Sachs
Ibrahim Saidau of Belarus placed sec- ond in the final World Olympic Qualifier to earn his spot in Rio. He wrestled for Russia through 2012, but began to com- pete for Belarus in 2014. Korey Jarvis of Canada, a 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, qualified by taking second at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier. Other qualifiers are Dimitar Kumchev of Bulgaria, Robert Baran of Poland and Radhouane Chebbi of Tunisia. Added to the field by the Triparthite Commission is Skilang Florian Temengil of Palau, an eight time Oceania champi- on and 2008 Olympian.
TERVEL DLAGNEV
Residence: Columbus, Ohio Club: Sunkist Kids College: Nebraska-Kearney High School: Arlington (Texas) Born: Nov. 19, 1985
Age: 30
Past Olympics: 5th (2012) Past Sr. Worlds: 3rd (2009, 2014), 5th (2011, 2013) UWW World Rank: No. 14
Career Notes • 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team member • 2009 and 2014 World bronze medalist • Fifth in 2012 Olympic Games • Fifth in 2011 and 2013 World Championships • 2011 Pan American Games champion • 2008 University World Champion • Four-time U.S. Open champion (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) • 2016 Pan American Olympic Qualifier champion • Two-time NCAA Div. II national cham- pion for Nebraska-Kearney
College: 2007 and 2008 NCAA Div. II champion at Nebraska-Kearney, where he was coached by Marc Bauer… Led UNK to Division II national team title in 2008, the first in school history… 2006 Midlands champion… Second in 2006 NCAA Division II tournament and placed sixth in 2005… High School: Third in Texas state tour- nament in 2003… Fourth in state tourna- ment in 2002 in just his second year of wrestling… Awards: 2014 USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year… Personal: Son of Ivaylo and Igrena Dlagnev… Has one sister, Kassie… He and his wife, Kirsten, were married on May 8, 2010. They have two sons, Isaiah Tervel and Titus… Moved to the United States from Bulgaria when he was four years old…
15 USA Wrestling Rio Media Guide
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