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

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The Best Country At 97 kg Since 2014

Since 2014, the United States has won the most medals at the Olympics/World Championships, with 9 in total. All of those medals have been won by Kyle Snyder who has 4 golds, 3 silver, and 2 bronze in that time frame. Russia and Azerbaijan come in right behind the US with 7 medals a piece over the past 10 years. 

97 kg Medals By Country Since 2014

Who Have Been The Best Wrestlers At 97 kg Since 2014?

As mentioned above, Kyle Snyder has a remarkable 9 medals at 97 kg. His consistency at this weight class is only rivaled by Abdulrashid Sadulaev who has 5 total medals after moving up to 97 kg in 2017. Sadulaev has wrestled 3 fewer world championships than Snyder in this time frame but has the same amount of golds in this time frame (4) as Snyder. Sadulaev is banned from competing at the Paris Olympics due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, so Snyder has the opportunity to move ahead of Sadulaev in golds at 97 kg.

Medalists At 97 kg Since 2014

*Denotes Paris Olympian

97 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 - 96 kg (2002-2013) and 97 kg (2000-2001 and 2014-Present).

97 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. The above data shows just how much the United States has improved over the years. From 2000-2012, Team USA only brought home three total medals at 96/97kg with Daniel Cormier winning bronze in 2007 and Jake Varner winning bronze in 2011 and gold in 2012. 

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

The Paris Olympics will be Kyle Snyder’s third Olympics and Snyder has the opportunity to become just the third American ever to win his second Olympic gold medal. It’s incredibly significant that Sadulaev won’t be in the Olympic bracket considering Sadulaev now owns a career 4-1 record over Snyder. However, that doesn’t mean things will be easy for Snyder. 2023 World Champ Akhmed Tazhudinov is still in the bracket and notably defeated Snyder and Sadulaev on his way to winning worlds last year. If Snyder takes home gold, it will be historic and put him in the conversation as one of the best American wrestlers of all time.