Newspaper Summary

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM OUR WRESTLERS?

People are beginning to talk again about our wrestlers being the 'Saviours of the Nation', ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Every four years coverage of the sport intensifies, as participants are billed as the next 'big thing'. But the wrestlers themselves are rather more philosophical about their chances.

In the women's team, medal hopes lie mainly on the shoulders of Natalya Golts (in the under 55kg category) and Alena Kartashova (63kg). Kartashova has already been wrestling at this level for the last decade, and was 2002 World Champion. Golts has a tough task to get into the top three, and will have to contend with Japanese wrestler Saori Yoshida, who is unbeaten in five years.

In addition travelling to Beijing will be Zamira Rakhmanova (48kg) and Elena Perepelkina (72kg).

In the Greco-Roman wrestling, meanwhile, it is said that for our team members, the higher the weight category the more fanatical the support. Nazir Mankiev (55kg), Islam-Beka Albiev (60kg) and Sergey Kovalenko (66kg) will no doubt fight like lions, but sadly they have slim chances of gold.

In the higher weight categories, though, the fighters will be contending for the gold medal. Varteres Samurgashev (74kg), Aleksey Mishin (84kg), Aslanbek Khushtov (96kg) and Hasan Baroev (120kg) will all be looking to take home the Olympic title, and they will fancy their chances after the Russian team took home 2 golds from Athens. Baroev is himself looking for a second Olympic gold.

Russia awaits a new Olympic wrestling hero.

Sergey Butov

English by James Appell

Back

Previous   Next

Print version