2021 - Olympic Qualifiers - Men's Freestyle

74KG - Zaurbek Sidakov

Contenders:
Two-time defending world champion Zaurbek Sidakov sits atop the rankings at 74kg but will be challenged by Kyle Dake and Frank Chamizo. Based off recent results, it’d be shocking to see any other wrestler at 74kg take home gold in Tokyo. It’s also important to note Sidakov and Chamizo will be separated because of their Olympic Seed. Because Kyle Dake competed exclusively at 79kg up until 2020, he does not have enough points to be seeded and will be randomly drawn into this bracket. Dake will either have to go through Sidakov or Chamizo just to make the finals.

Recent Results:

Frank Chamizo, Daniyar Kaisanov, and Mostafa Hosseinkhani were the Olympians in action at the Poland Open. Hosseinkhani came away with gold after Frank Chamizo forfeited to him in the finals. Hosseinkhani also earned the right to represent Iran at the Olympics at 74kg after he defeated Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev in the semi-finals, 3-0. Iran’s other potential 74kg rep, Younes Emami, lost 4-2 to Gadzhiev in the quarter-finals, ending his chance to make the Olympics. 

Chamizo locked up the #1 seed for the Olympics by making the finals at the Poland Open and most likely forfeited because of that. On his way to the finals, Chamizo defeated Daniyar Kaisanov, Semen Radulov (UKR), and Lucas Kahnt (GER). Kaisanov came back and defeated both Kahnt and Radulov to earn bronze and cement himself as Kazakhstan’s 74kg Olympic rep. Kazakhstan had one other potential 74kg rep in contention at Poland, world silver medalist Nurkozha Kaipanov. However, Kaipanov lost his opening round match to unranked Amr Hussen (EGY).

New to the rankings is Japan's Keisuke Otoguro and Azerbaijan's Turan Bayramov. Otoguro earned the 74kg spot when he beat fellow countryman Mao Okui in a special wrestle-off for the Olympic spot, 5-2. Keisuke is the brother of Japan's 65kg 2018 World Champion, Takuto but is far less credentialed. Keisuke barely has a winning record on the senior level and does not have any head to head matches against the rest of the Olympians at 74kg. It's still unclear how and why Bayramov is in for Azerbaijan at 74kg (instead of Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev) but he has no results against this Olympic field. Because of his inexperience at the weight and Bayramov slides in at #14 behind Otoguro.