As the Olympic Games approach, we’re going through a series of articles looking at which countries are historically the best at each Olympic weight. This article will continue our series by looking 74 kg, and analyzing the results from the World Championships and Olympic Games since 2014 and 2000. 

More 74 kg Olympic Preview Content

74 kg Preview & Prediction | Olympic Seeds | Freestyle Seeding Breakdown | 74 kg Olympic Rankings 

The Best Country At 74 kg Since 2014

Since 2014, the United States and Russia have dominated the 74 kg weight class with both countries winning 9 medals a piece in that time frame. On top of that, Russia and the US won 9 of the last 10 gold medals at the weight with Iran’s Hassan Yazdani winning the only other gold in 2016. 

It’s worth noting that Russia won’t be at the Olympics in Tokyo so they won’t be able to add to their medal count this year. However, there are still 6 Russians in the 74 kg bracket who are now representing other countries - Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR), Razambek Zhamalov (UZB), Khetik Tsabolov (SRB), Tajmuraz Salkazanov (SVK), Viktor Rassadin (TJK), and Chermen Valiev (ALB). Of those 6 wrestlers, Kadimagomedov, Tsabolov, Zhamalov, and Valiev are all past Russian Nationals champions. The depth in the 74 kg bracket is almost unbelievable and will be incredibly exciting from start to finish. 

74 kg Medals By Country Since 2014

Who Have Been The Best Wrestlers At 74 kg?

Jordan Burroughs, Zaurbek Sidakov, and Kyle Dake all stand above the rest of the wrestlers at 74 kg in the world over the past 10 years. Burroughs has the most medals at 5 since 2014 but Sidakov holds the trump card with 4 gold medals and a combined 4-0 record against Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake. Because of that, it’s hard to argue that Zaurbek Sidakov is the clear best 74 kg wrestler of his generation.

Medalists At 74 kg Since 2014

*Denotes Paris 74 kg Olympian

Even though Sidakov is not in the field, Kyle Dake has an opportunity to win his first Olympics against a stacked field. A gold this year for Dake would give him 3 in the past 5 years at 74 kg and 5 golds total (including his 2 at 79 kg). Gold this year would also give Dake 2 Olympic medals at 74 kg - a feat that even Jordan Burroughs wasn’t able to accomplish.

74 kg Since 2000

Going back a little further can help tell an even deeper story of this weight class and provide a fuller picture of the changes that have taken place since 2000. Before we get into the numbers, it’s worth noting that weight classes have changed since 2000, and the following weights were used for the below data - 74 kg (2002-Present) and 76 kg (2001-2002).

74 kg Medals By Country Since 2000

As the above chart shows, Russia leads the total medal count and gold medals at this weight since 2000. However, the data also shows the United States has experienced a sustained level of success at 74 kg thanks to the performances of  Brandon Slay (2000 gold), Joe Williams (2001 & 2005 bronze), and Donny Pritzlaff (2006 bronze). That success in the 2000s, combined with 8 medals from Jordan Burroughs (5 golds & 3 bronze) and Kyle Dake (2 golds & 1 silver) put the USA right up with Russia as the best in the world at 74 kg. 

What Does This Mean For Kyle Dake At The Paris Olympics?

Kyle Dake looks poised to continue Team USA’s success at 74 kg and is the odds-on favorite to win gold in Paris. However, with so many Russians in the field, it certainly won’t be an easy road for Dake and he might have to beat 4 Russians in a row to win gold. 74 kg might be the deepest bracket of any Olympic weight and if Dake does win gold, he’ll cement himself in history as one of the best 74 kg wrestlers of all time.