Abdulrashid Sadulaev

Abdulrashid Bulachevich Sadulaev (Russian: Абдулрашид Булачевич Садулаев; Avar: ГІабдулрашид Булачил Садулаев; born 9 May 1996 in Dagestan) is a Russian freestyle wrestler of Avar descent.

Nicknamed the "Russian Tank," he is the 2016 Olympic Champion at 86 kg, a four-time World Champion (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019), European Champion (2014), European Games Champion (2015), two time Cadet World Champion (2012, 2013), Golden Grand-Prix Champion, European Nations Cup winner, Yaşar Doğu winner, Wenceslas Ziolkowski Memorial winner and Alexander Medved International winner. Sadulaev became the 2014 World Champion in the 86 kg class at age 18, and Olympic champion at age 20. He is now considered the best active wrestler with the Turkish olympic champion Taha Akgul.

He was undefeated in competition from November 2013 until August 2017. In 2014, Sadulaev was considered by many to be the most dominant wrestler in the world. In August 2016, Sadulaev was the #1 ranked 86 kg competitor in the world, and was ranked as the #1 Pound-for-Pound wrestler in the world by Flo Wrestling.

Sadulaev was born in 1996 in the village of Tsurib, Charodinsky District, Dagestan, Russia. He belongs to the Avar ethnic group, he is from a devout Sunni Muslim family and is the youngest of four siblings. He did not start wrestling professionally until the age of 13, but quickly won a regional title and 300 ₽ ($4.69). After finishing the 11th grade, he began training in the Gamid Gamidov Wrestling club in Makhachkala, Dagestan's sports school of Olympic reserve. When he was 16 years old, he won the Cadet Freestyle Wrestling World Championships. Sadulaev only has two social networking accounts, on instagram and on vk. He stated that as he has no account on Twitter, other accounts existing there using his identity must be fake.

2014: World Champion, European Champion

Sadulaev's senior level debut was at the XLIII Ali Aliyev Memorial when he was 16 years old. He was defeated in the semifinals by Shamil Kudiyamagomedov, but ended up winning the bronze medal. At the 2014 Russian National Championships, Sadulaev defeated Kudiyamagomedov and won his first national title. After the Russian Nationals, he participated at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships, where Sadulaev defeated Reineris Salas of Cuba 11–0 by technical fall.

2015: World Champion

On 8 May 2015, Sadulaev won the Russian Freestyle Wrestling Nationals again and took part in the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, and World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the Games he outscored four opponents 42–1 (4–0) by technical fall and won gold medal. On 11 September 2015, he won World Championships, in the final knocking down Koloi Kartoev (Selim Yaşar) of Turkey, overall scoring 47–2 (6–0) in the championships. As a result he was given a Mercedes-Benz G-Class G63 and Toyota Land Cruiser 200 by Dagestani business magnate Gadzhiev brothers and Ziyavudin Magomedov.

Sadulaev faced on 7 November wrestlers from Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Poland at the European Nations Cup (Alrosa Cup). He beat number one Georgian wrestler Elizbar Odikadze via technical fall (11–0).

2016: Olympic Champion

On 29 January, Sadulaev was expected to participate at the international tournament Golden Grand-Prix Ivan Yarygin 2016, but he pulled out in late January citing a minor shoulder injury.

Sadulaev returned to wrestling in the U23 European Championships in Ruse, Bulgaria on 3 April, and then he participated at the Wenceslas Ziolkowski Memorial XXV on 18 June 2016. At the European Championships he defeated Stefan Reichmuth of Switzerland in the eightfinals, Hungarian Gergely Gyrits in the quarterfinals, Belarussian Aliaksandr Hushtyn in the semifinals and finally Georgian Irakli Mtsituri; all victories were by technical superiority. On 18 June, Sadulaev won the Wenceslas Ziolkowski Memorial LII, beating Aleksey Mushtin, teammate Omargadzhi Magomedov, István Veréb of Hungary, Sebastian Jezierzanski and Zbigniew Baranowski, both from Poland, by technical superiority.

Sadulaev competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics without Russian Olympic Trials, that news was announced by the head coach of the Russian freestyle wrestling team Dzhambolat Tedeyev. Sadualev beat István Veréb by technical superiority, then Pedro Ceballos of Venezuela by points, fellow countryman Sharif Sharifov of Azerbaijan and in the gold medal match Selim Yasar, 5–0.

After Sadulaev's return to Russia, he was greeted by a rowdy welcome victory in Moscow. The Olympic athletes were also given a reception of the Russian medalists in the Kremlin, with the traditional ceremonial meeting being presided by President Vladimir Putin. The champions received BMW luxury crossovers, with the BMW X6 luxury crossovers being awarded for the gold medalists. Sadulaev was also greeted as a national hero in his native Dagestan. Aside from receiving financial reward for his Olympic achievements, Dagestan's Head of the Region Ramazan Abdulatipov presented Sadulaev an Akhal-Teke horse (native to Turkmenistan), which has a reputation for having speed, endurance and intelligence, and is highly valued in Dagestan.

2017: Weight class changes, WC runner-up, European Champion

Sadulaev competed in the Russian Nationals, defeating 2011 European runner-up Vladislav Baitcaev by decision (8–7). Sadulaev became the new Russian national champion in the 97 kg weight category. Before the final match he easily beat Yuri Belonovskiy, Umar Kudliev, Stanislav Gadzhiev and Tamerlan Rasuev by technical superiority. As a result, Ingushetian president Yunus-bek Yevkurov bestowed him a Toyota Land Cruiser 200.

At the World Championships, Sadulaev participated in the 97 kg weight category. En route he defeated Reineris Salas, Mateusz Filipczak, Elizbar Odikadze and Georgy Ketoyev. In the final he lost to Kyle Snyder in a close match. It was his first loss since 2013.

2018: World Champion, rematch against Snyder

After that he debuted in the weight category 92 kg at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2018. In the final match, he beat 2012 Olympian and countryman Anzor Urishev. At the European Championships he defeated his teammate Sharif Sharifov of Azerbaijan in the final match.

On 3 August 2018, Sadulaev won his fourth national title at the Russian Nationals, knocking down Vladislav Baitcaev for gold by score (8–1).

Sadulaev was chosen to represent Russia in his weight class for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, facing countrymen Magomedgadzhi Nurov, Mamed Ibragimov, Magomed Ibragimov, who he all beat by technical fall. In the semi-final he defeated Elizbar Odikadze from Georgia, and in the final in a rematch he faced American Kyle Snyder, quickly finishing him down by pin fall.

2019: European Games gold medalist and World Championships

Sadulaev won European Games in Minsk, Belarus where he didn't give up a single point. After made world team trials, he repeated the success of last year at the world championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in the final match he beat Azerbhaijan's Sharif Sharifov by score (4-0). Unfortunately, the rematch against USA's Kyle Snyder did not take place due to the loss of the American to Sharif Sharifov in the semifinals.

• 2012 Cadet World Champion – 76 kg
• 2012 Ali Aliyev Memorial Bronze Medalist – 84 kg
• 2013 Cadet World Champion – 85 kg
• 2013 Heydar Aliyev Memorial Bronze Medalist – 84 kg
• 2014 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin – 86 kg
• 2014 Golden Grand-Prix Yaşar Doğu – 86 kg
• 2014, 2015 Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Champion – 86 kg
• 2014 European Champion – 86 kg
• 2014 Wenceslas Ziolkowski Memorial XXIII – 86 kg
• 2014 World Champion – 86 kg
• 2015 Alexander Medved International – 86 kg
• 2015 European Games – 86 kg
• 2015 World Champion– 86 kg
• 2015 European Nations Cup (Moscow Lights-Alrosa Cup) – 97 kg
• 2016 European Championships U23– 86 kg
• 2016 Wenceslas Ziolkowski Memorial LII – 86 kg
• 2016 Summer Olympics– 86 kg
• 2017 Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Champion – 97 kg
• 2018 Golden Grand-Prix Ivan Yarygin – 92 kg
• 2018 Dan Kolov & Nikola Petrov international – 92 kg
• 2018 World Champion – 97 kg
• 2019 European Champion – 97 kg
• 2019 European Games Champion – 97 kg
• 2019 World Champion – 97 kg
• 2020 European Champion – 97 kg

On June 2015, Sadulaev was voted best Russian sportsman of June at the TV project "Golden Pedestal" (on the now-defunct Rossiya 2), earning 55,6 % of votes and trumping Aliya Mustafina, who got 44,4 % of votes.