57kg Foreign Hammers: Vladimer Khinchegashvili
57kg Foreign Hammers: Vladimer Khinchegashvili
Hammer: Vladimer KhinchegashvilliIf you're looking at the very top of the 57kg heap, you'll find Georgia's Vladimer Khinchegashvili. He has been extremely a
Hammer: Vladimer Khinchegashvilli
If you're looking at the very top of the 57kg heap, you'll find Georgia's Vladimer Khinchegashvili. He has been extremely active since winning his first world title in September (and third world medal) in nine events. Most of Khinchegashvili's year was spent at 61 kg, but when he is down at 57kg, he's near impossible to beat.
Hardware:
2012 Olympic Silver Medalist
2014 World Silver Medalist
2015 World Champion
Khinchegashvilli won his first world title last September in Las Vegas. Iran's Hassan Rahimi was 45 seconds away from a world gold medal--up 4-1, he got in on Khinchegashvilli's leg on an attack that looked like it was going to put the nail in the coffin. But when Rahimi tried to transition from one leg to two, Khinchegashvilli sat the corner and locked in the crotch, which gave him a superior angle. Rahimi, not wanting to put himself in any worse position, conceded the takedown, 4-3. Then, with 14 seconds left, it happened: the duck heard round the world. Rahimi grabbed Khinch's left wrist, Khinch wrist-rolled, level-changed to the right, and then ducked left, 5-4, with two ticks left on the clock. The Iranians threw the brick, but it was no good. Khinchegashvilli was a world champion.
Check that match out here.
Scouting Report:
Pros
-Equally effective in scoring from neutral offense, neutral defense, and par terre offense
-Strong closer
Cons
-Starts slow
-Gives up points
Khinch is a threat to everyone looking to strike gold in Rio, but he's particularly problematic for conventional American wrestlers. Most U.S. athletes have a hard time with the fact he can score without touching legs. Duck-unders, pass-bys, throws--when you combine all these things, along with some Houdini-esque defense when someone grabs his legs, it's perplexing. His only weakness is he's prone to getting scored on in bunches. He'll give up points if he thinks he can get some in the process.
What does this all mean to the American wrestling fans? Well, Khinchegashvilli poses big problems for any conventional American wrestler, but here's the good news: Dan Dennis is not your typical American wrestler. Dennis has a rib-crushing, soul-stealing, make-you-change-your-underpants gut wrench. The U.S. hasn't had a representative with a gut this lethal since Bruce Baumgartner donned the red, white, and blue in the 80s and 90s. Let's not forget that if Dan Dennis didn't run out of real estate in the World Cup bronze match that he may very well have teched Vlad in under a minute. He caught Khinch by surprise in the opening seconds of the bout with what I like to call a sling-shot single to a double. He proceeded to turn Khinch like a door knob out of bounds, which put him back in the small circle with a 6-0 lead in the first 30 seconds. Those were the only points Dennis got to score. Takedown for Khinch, 6-2. Lace for Khinch, 6-4. A fireman's carry for Vlad made it 8-6, and things went from bad to worse for the American: Khinchegashvilli put him on his back, and he wouldn't get off of it until the ref's hand slapped the mat.
Whether you're watching the Olympics to root on the Americans or if you'll watch every single match like I will, Khinchegashvilli is worth the price of admission. He's big for 57kg, so he can muscle and club with the best of them. His upper-body attacks make him an exciting contender. He's stingy on defense, so he's in every match, no matter the score. Khinch's par terre offense can cause a match to get away from anyone, which makes him a great closer. He brings a level of intensity, excitement and technical prowess to the table that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Oh yeah, and he can score late in a match, something that we, as Americans, like to hang our hat on. Good luck, world.
If you're looking at the very top of the 57kg heap, you'll find Georgia's Vladimer Khinchegashvili. He has been extremely active since winning his first world title in September (and third world medal) in nine events. Most of Khinchegashvili's year was spent at 61 kg, but when he is down at 57kg, he's near impossible to beat.
Hardware:
2012 Olympic Silver Medalist
2014 World Silver Medalist
2015 World Champion
Khinchegashvilli won his first world title last September in Las Vegas. Iran's Hassan Rahimi was 45 seconds away from a world gold medal--up 4-1, he got in on Khinchegashvilli's leg on an attack that looked like it was going to put the nail in the coffin. But when Rahimi tried to transition from one leg to two, Khinchegashvilli sat the corner and locked in the crotch, which gave him a superior angle. Rahimi, not wanting to put himself in any worse position, conceded the takedown, 4-3. Then, with 14 seconds left, it happened: the duck heard round the world. Rahimi grabbed Khinch's left wrist, Khinch wrist-rolled, level-changed to the right, and then ducked left, 5-4, with two ticks left on the clock. The Iranians threw the brick, but it was no good. Khinchegashvilli was a world champion.
Check that match out here.
Scouting Report:
Pros-Equally effective in scoring from neutral offense, neutral defense, and par terre offense
-Strong closer
Cons
-Starts slow
-Gives up points
Khinch is a threat to everyone looking to strike gold in Rio, but he's particularly problematic for conventional American wrestlers. Most U.S. athletes have a hard time with the fact he can score without touching legs. Duck-unders, pass-bys, throws--when you combine all these things, along with some Houdini-esque defense when someone grabs his legs, it's perplexing. His only weakness is he's prone to getting scored on in bunches. He'll give up points if he thinks he can get some in the process.
What does this all mean to the American wrestling fans? Well, Khinchegashvilli poses big problems for any conventional American wrestler, but here's the good news: Dan Dennis is not your typical American wrestler. Dennis has a rib-crushing, soul-stealing, make-you-change-your-underpants gut wrench. The U.S. hasn't had a representative with a gut this lethal since Bruce Baumgartner donned the red, white, and blue in the 80s and 90s. Let's not forget that if Dan Dennis didn't run out of real estate in the World Cup bronze match that he may very well have teched Vlad in under a minute. He caught Khinch by surprise in the opening seconds of the bout with what I like to call a sling-shot single to a double. He proceeded to turn Khinch like a door knob out of bounds, which put him back in the small circle with a 6-0 lead in the first 30 seconds. Those were the only points Dennis got to score. Takedown for Khinch, 6-2. Lace for Khinch, 6-4. A fireman's carry for Vlad made it 8-6, and things went from bad to worse for the American: Khinchegashvilli put him on his back, and he wouldn't get off of it until the ref's hand slapped the mat.
Whether you're watching the Olympics to root on the Americans or if you'll watch every single match like I will, Khinchegashvilli is worth the price of admission. He's big for 57kg, so he can muscle and club with the best of them. His upper-body attacks make him an exciting contender. He's stingy on defense, so he's in every match, no matter the score. Khinch's par terre offense can cause a match to get away from anyone, which makes him a great closer. He brings a level of intensity, excitement and technical prowess to the table that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Oh yeah, and he can score late in a match, something that we, as Americans, like to hang our hat on. Good luck, world.