Rio 2016 Olympic Preview - 57kg
Rio 2016 Olympic Preview - 57kg
We're kicking off August with a Rio weight class preview for all 14 weights featuring an American. The ContendersNo. 1 Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) - The
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We're kicking off August with a Rio weight class preview for all 14 weights featuring an American.
No. 2 Hassan Rahimi (IRI) - A 2013 world champion who doesn't pull the trigger much, but is one of the most consistent finishers when he does.
No. 3 Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (CUB) - The world bronze medalist of 2014 has a three-turn series that is the most dangerous in the world.
Yang Kyong-il (PRK) - The 2009 and 2014 world champion owns perhaps the most technically proficient leg attacks in the field.
The lightest Olympic weight received a makeover in 2014, and since then, Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and Hassan Rahimi (IRI) have been the class of 57kg. And now that the weight above it is non-Olympic, you have top-notch 61kg guys like Haji Aliyev (AZE), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (CUB) and Vladimir Dubov (BUL) dropping down this year.
Haji Aliyev and Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez collided in the 2014 world semifinals:
Dan Dennis joins the field as a late-blooming up-and-comer, which puts him solidly in the second tier with guys like Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and Erdenebat Bekhbayar (MGL). While the 29-year-old has never made a world team, much less won a world medal, he has proven over the past 10 months he is good enough to finish on the podium.
The key here is less dependent on his draw, and more on his ability to finish leg attacks. Dennis has one of the best gut wrenches on Team USA, which he showed off against Khinchegashvili at the World Cup.
At Yarygin, the Hawkeye proved he can go upper body for four against opponents of Rustam Ampar's quality, even though he would go on to lose that match. While important, throws and fours will be less critical than him getting to legs and holding center, as we saw when he was given several questionable passive calls in the finals of the German Grand Prix.
While Dennis has a strong snap-down/drag to go-behind, those will be hard to come by in Rio. The wrestlers will be too strong and won't take as many bad shots with their heads down to give him room to do that.
Being the lightest weight, it's expected that there would be a number of junior-aged guys who qualified and pose threats to the more established medal contenders on the big stage. They include baby faces Rei Higuchi (JPN), Suleyman Atli (TUR), and Abbas Rakhmonov (UZB).
Higuchi was unable to place at Junior Worlds last year at 60kg, but has been very impressive while winning three tournaments this year: the Asian qualifier, Macedonian Pearl, and beat Dubov in the finals of the Ziolkowski in Poland.
Atli is a past junior world and European champion who has finally started to turn heads this year on the senior level. Like Higuchi, Atli is replacing a more experienced, but also inconsistent, starter ahead of him. His big win this year is over Erdenebat at the World Cup.
As recently as last year, Rakhmonov was losing to Daton Fix in the bronze medal match at Cadet Worlds. Each of these three young stars will prove a tremendous foil to the wily veteran Dennis.
This field has gone through a number of makeovers. Russia's mess from its national championship ended up not mattering, as the IOC disallowed two-time world champ Viktor Lebedev from competing due to a failed PED test as a junior. Russia's quota was then pulled and replaced by Belarus, which put in Asadulla Lachinau instead of world bronze medalist Uladzislau Andreyeu.
Other countries who have replaced their regular starters over the past two years include Armenia, India and Korea. But the biggest wrench in this weight was the return of a retired former champ from North Korea.
Last we saw Yang Kyong-il, he controversially defeated Khinchegashvili in the 2014 world finals on a late head pinch. The two-time world champion will not be subject to separation criteria, and pose a potentially awful draw for anyone in this field. He has some of the cleanest shots in the game.
Yang and Khinchegashvili's 2014 World Final
Dennis is going to have his hands full. He's a long shot to make the podium, but that's no different from every other lightweight since Henry Cejudo. Dennis is one of our most patient wrestlers, and has the strength to slow down top-level 57kg guys.
His lack of a strong, low single may hurt him against Khinchegashvili, but will be fruitful against a counter maestro like Bonne Rodriguez. The Hawkeye is exactly the type of wrestler that can knock off Bonne in a one-takedown match in which both guys go on the shot clock.
Aliyev is a theoretical favorite coming down from a heavier weight as a two-time defending world champion, but Khinchegashvili matched him strength-for-strength at Euros. Bonne also (allegedly) demolished Aliyev in a super-secret scrimmage match that is kept private on YouTube. Yang hasn't wrestled in two years, but if healthy and in form, everyone--including Dennis--will have a hard time stopping his shots.
The last time this weight existed in the Olympics was 1996 in Atlanta. That year, former Oklahoma State star Kendall Cross outscored opponents 31-7 en route to the gold medal. Cross beat Dennis' coach (and reigning world champ at the time) Terry Brands in the Olympic Trials earlier that year. Dennis will need to channel both of them if he hopes to bring home a medal from Rio.
Predictions:
1. Yang Kyong-il (North Korea)
2. Vladimir Khinchegashvili (Georgia)
3. Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
3. Yowls Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
5. Rei Higuchi (Japan)
5. Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan)
Bracket Reactions:
Top Matches Of Olympians:
Men's Frestyle: Daniel Dennis | Frank Molinaro | Jordan Burroughs
J'den Cox | Kyle Snyder | Tervel Dlagnev
Greco Roman: Jesse Thielke | Andy Bisek | Robby Smith | Ben Provisor (Coming 8/14)
Women's Freestyle: Haley Augello | Helen Maroulis | Elena Pirozhkova | Adeline Gray
Know A Foreign Hammer:
Toghrul Asgarov | Roman Vlasov | Taha Akgul
Saori Yoshida | Anzor Boltakaev | Abdulrashid Sadulaev
Anuiar Gedeuv | Erica Wiebe | Soronzonbold Battsetsegg
Hamid Soryan | Vladimir Khinchegashvili
2016 Olympic Wrestling Schedule
The Contenders
No. 1 Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) - The 2015 world champion has a fifth gear unlike anyone else in this weight.No. 2 Hassan Rahimi (IRI) - A 2013 world champion who doesn't pull the trigger much, but is one of the most consistent finishers when he does.
No. 3 Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (CUB) - The world bronze medalist of 2014 has a three-turn series that is the most dangerous in the world.
Yang Kyong-il (PRK) - The 2009 and 2014 world champion owns perhaps the most technically proficient leg attacks in the field.
The lightest Olympic weight received a makeover in 2014, and since then, Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) and Hassan Rahimi (IRI) have been the class of 57kg. And now that the weight above it is non-Olympic, you have top-notch 61kg guys like Haji Aliyev (AZE), Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (CUB) and Vladimir Dubov (BUL) dropping down this year.
Haji Aliyev and Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez collided in the 2014 world semifinals:
Dan Dennis joins the field as a late-blooming up-and-comer, which puts him solidly in the second tier with guys like Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) and Erdenebat Bekhbayar (MGL). While the 29-year-old has never made a world team, much less won a world medal, he has proven over the past 10 months he is good enough to finish on the podium.
How Dennis Can Medal
The key here is less dependent on his draw, and more on his ability to finish leg attacks. Dennis has one of the best gut wrenches on Team USA, which he showed off against Khinchegashvili at the World Cup.
At Yarygin, the Hawkeye proved he can go upper body for four against opponents of Rustam Ampar's quality, even though he would go on to lose that match. While important, throws and fours will be less critical than him getting to legs and holding center, as we saw when he was given several questionable passive calls in the finals of the German Grand Prix.
While Dennis has a strong snap-down/drag to go-behind, those will be hard to come by in Rio. The wrestlers will be too strong and won't take as many bad shots with their heads down to give him room to do that.
Young Guns
Being the lightest weight, it's expected that there would be a number of junior-aged guys who qualified and pose threats to the more established medal contenders on the big stage. They include baby faces Rei Higuchi (JPN), Suleyman Atli (TUR), and Abbas Rakhmonov (UZB).
Higuchi was unable to place at Junior Worlds last year at 60kg, but has been very impressive while winning three tournaments this year: the Asian qualifier, Macedonian Pearl, and beat Dubov in the finals of the Ziolkowski in Poland.
Atli is a past junior world and European champion who has finally started to turn heads this year on the senior level. Like Higuchi, Atli is replacing a more experienced, but also inconsistent, starter ahead of him. His big win this year is over Erdenebat at the World Cup.
As recently as last year, Rakhmonov was losing to Daton Fix in the bronze medal match at Cadet Worlds. Each of these three young stars will prove a tremendous foil to the wily veteran Dennis.
Shuffling Field
This field has gone through a number of makeovers. Russia's mess from its national championship ended up not mattering, as the IOC disallowed two-time world champ Viktor Lebedev from competing due to a failed PED test as a junior. Russia's quota was then pulled and replaced by Belarus, which put in Asadulla Lachinau instead of world bronze medalist Uladzislau Andreyeu.
Other countries who have replaced their regular starters over the past two years include Armenia, India and Korea. But the biggest wrench in this weight was the return of a retired former champ from North Korea.
Last we saw Yang Kyong-il, he controversially defeated Khinchegashvili in the 2014 world finals on a late head pinch. The two-time world champion will not be subject to separation criteria, and pose a potentially awful draw for anyone in this field. He has some of the cleanest shots in the game.
Yang and Khinchegashvili's 2014 World Final
The Outlook
Dennis is going to have his hands full. He's a long shot to make the podium, but that's no different from every other lightweight since Henry Cejudo. Dennis is one of our most patient wrestlers, and has the strength to slow down top-level 57kg guys.
His lack of a strong, low single may hurt him against Khinchegashvili, but will be fruitful against a counter maestro like Bonne Rodriguez. The Hawkeye is exactly the type of wrestler that can knock off Bonne in a one-takedown match in which both guys go on the shot clock.
Aliyev is a theoretical favorite coming down from a heavier weight as a two-time defending world champion, but Khinchegashvili matched him strength-for-strength at Euros. Bonne also (allegedly) demolished Aliyev in a super-secret scrimmage match that is kept private on YouTube. Yang hasn't wrestled in two years, but if healthy and in form, everyone--including Dennis--will have a hard time stopping his shots.
The last time this weight existed in the Olympics was 1996 in Atlanta. That year, former Oklahoma State star Kendall Cross outscored opponents 31-7 en route to the gold medal. Cross beat Dennis' coach (and reigning world champ at the time) Terry Brands in the Olympic Trials earlier that year. Dennis will need to channel both of them if he hopes to bring home a medal from Rio.
Predictions:
1. Yang Kyong-il (North Korea)
2. Vladimir Khinchegashvili (Georgia)
3. Hassan Rahimi (Iran)
3. Yowls Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
5. Rei Higuchi (Japan)
5. Nurislam Sanayev (Kazakhstan)
Bracket Reactions:
Top Matches Of Olympians:
Men's Frestyle: Daniel Dennis | Frank Molinaro | Jordan Burroughs J'den Cox | Kyle Snyder | Tervel Dlagnev
Greco Roman: Jesse Thielke | Andy Bisek | Robby Smith | Ben Provisor (Coming 8/14)
Women's Freestyle: Haley Augello | Helen Maroulis | Elena Pirozhkova | Adeline Gray
Know A Foreign Hammer:
Toghrul Asgarov | Roman Vlasov | Taha AkgulSaori Yoshida | Anzor Boltakaev | Abdulrashid Sadulaev
Anuiar Gedeuv | Erica Wiebe | Soronzonbold Battsetsegg
Hamid Soryan | Vladimir Khinchegashvili
2016 Olympic Wrestling Schedule