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 86 kg, and analyzing the results from the World Championships and Olympic Games since 2014 and 2000. 

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The Best Country At 86 kg Since 2014

Since 2014, Iran, the United States, and Russia have been the dominant forces at 86 kg at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Only wrestlers from those three countries have won golds in that time frame - David Taylor (4 times), Hassan Yazdani (3 times), and Abdulrashid Sadulaev (3 times). Hassan Yazdani (IRI) and Aaron Brooks (USA) are the two biggest favorites to win gold in Paris and we’re likely to see the gold medal trend of the last 10 years continue at 86 kg this year.

86 kg Medals By Country Since 2014

Who Have Been The Best Wrestlers At 86 kg?

As mentioned above, Taylor, Yazdani, and Sadulaev dominated 86 kg over the past ten years. All have their own case to be considered the best 86 kg in this time frame. Taylor had the most golds at 4 and was a career 5-1 against Yazdani. Sadulaev was undefeated at the Olympic and World Championships at 86 kg winning worlds in 2014 and 2015 and then the Olympics in 2016. Yazdani had the most medals over this time frame at 7 but his three runner-up finishes to David Taylor make it hard to consider Yazdani better than the Magic Man.

Medalists At 86 kg Since 2014

*Denotes Paris Olympian

86 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 occurred 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 - 84 kg (2002-2013), 85 kg (2000-2001), and 86 kg (2014-Present).

86 kg Medals By Country Since 2000

As the above chart shows, Russia has led the total medal count and gold medals at this weight since 2000. While Russia still performed well from 2014-2023, the above data shows just how much both Iran and Team USA has improved since 2000-2013. Team USA had solid performances in the early 2000s at this weight with Brandon Eggum (2001 silver), Cael Sanderson (2003 silver & 2004 gold), and Jake Herbert (2009 silver) all winning medals. However, that success was nothing compared to what J’den Cox (2016 & 2017 bronze) and David Taylor (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 gold & 2021 silver) accomplished in recent years. 

What Does This Mean For Aaron Brooks At The Paris Olympics?

The Paris Olympics will be Aaron Brooks’ first attempt at winning a senior world medal. While he’s inexperienced, Team USA’s history at 86 kg suggests Brooks is poised to bring home some hardware from Paris. The data, along with Brooks’ two wins over David Taylor, should cause Team USA fans to be very optimistic about Brooks on the mat in Paris.