
The first 14 largest fighters in history
Wrestling is perhaps the hardest sport that has ever existed. It is the most genuine test of one’s athletic ability and mental determination to win. As Dan Gable said, “Once fought, everything else is easy in life.”
Spinosa is an understatement when describing every wrestling practice and winning the game against another well trained individual who also aims to raise his hand is more than a challenge. Today we will talk about the greatest wrestlers in the history of sport.
Wrestling sport
Wrestling can be described as more sports combined in one. Mentally, it’s like playing chess due to constant exchanges back and forth and movement planning. Physically, it is like training in athletics, gymnastics and weight lifting to build agility, speed, explosiveness, resistance, strength and flexibility to perform functional movements.
While Olympic wrestling can be differentiated in two types, Greek-Roman and freestyle, both styles are only difficult in their own way. Greco-Roman focuses on the attacks of the upper body; Any technique below life are prohibited and neither wrestler can use legs for defensive or offensive actions. On the other hand, freestyle wrestling has no restrictions and allows more freedom to attack the opponent’s legs, legs and feet.
The games can be won by points, technical superiority (8 points advantage for Greco-Roman and advantage of 10 points for freestyle) or blocking the opponent’s shoulders on the mats.
The greatest wrestlers in history
The list includes Greco-Roman and freestyle fighters in male and female categories. Below are the most dominant wrestlers, with their successes decorated in the Olympics and in the World Championships.
1) Aleksandr Karelin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kee4yochtw
Karelin is among the goats of wrestling and one of the most intimidating wrestlers ever because of its gigantic frame and its inhuman strength. He competed under Russia in Greek-Roman wrestling and ended his career with 887 wins and two losses (both of a single point). An exhibition of his superhuman strength, Karelin was known for having raised his opponents of the heavyweights (which are actively resisting) from the mat and therefore downloading them with his move, widely known as the “Karelin landfill”.
During his career, Karelin won three Olympic golds (1988, 1992 and 1996) and a silver medal (2000). He also won nine world championships without losing a game.
2) Mijain Lopez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jybkxis5lcs
Lopez is a Greek -Roman fighter who competed for Cuba. Considered one of the greatest wrestling athletes, Mijain Lopez has done something that has never been done first in the history of this sport, perhaps in the history of the Olympics – it is winning five medals consecutive Olympic Olympic gold in the same individual sporting event. Next to his Olympic successes, Lopez has also won 5 gold medals in the World Championships and 3 silver medals.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if Aleksandr Karelin and Mijain Lopez have ever squared on the mats.
3) Jordan Burroughs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou44lfmoaci
Jordan Burroughs is one of the most decorated freestyle fighters in American history and one of the greatest freestyle fighters ever. It is widely known for its double Blast leg, which helped him defeat many powerful opponents. JB is an Olympic gold medal and six times world champion (6 gold and 3 bronze). JB played Folkstyle Wrestling as a collegiate athlete, winning two golds and 1 bronze in the titles of the I NCAA division.
4) Bvavaisar Saitiev
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1tbgopdni
Saitiev is highly appreciated as the largest freestyle fighter of all time. It represented Russia and is famous for its technical approach to wrestling, also transforming the best world wrestlers from the PAR TERRE position. Saitiev won 3 Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004 and 2008) and six world championships.
5) and Gable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py7unvajlh8
Dan Gable is considered one of the greatest American freestyle fighters. It is an Olympic gold medal (not dotted in its six games), gold medal of the world championship and two times national champion of the NCAA Division I. Perhaps one of Gable’s greatest successes is the way he, as a coach , he helped the community of wrestlers of the University of Iowa to achieve enormous success in competition (15 NCAA titles in 21 seasons).
6) Hassan Summer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra8omd7z_ba
Yazdani is considered one of the greatest Iranian freestyle fighters ever. Earning the nickname of “The Greatest”, Yazdani is a multiple Olympic medal (1 gold and 2 silver) and world champion on a more time (3 gold, three silver, 1 bronze) in competition in two different weight classes. His incessant attempts at demolition, together with his system of fight by hand, led him to win countless games.
7) Get Sanderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dggbjucuwm
Cael Sanderson is one of the greatest American wrestlers of all time. He won an Olympic gold medal and a silver medal in the world championships. Perhaps one of his well -known successes is his domain in the NCAA Wrestling division during his college years, where he held the throne for four consecutive years, beating artists of the caliber of Daniel Cormier during his kingdom.
8) Abdulashid Saddle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxtlpi_zlxs
Abdulrashid Sadulaev, also known as “Russian Tank”, is a freestyle fighter and is widely considered one of today’s most dominant fighters. So far, Sadulaev has collected 2 Olympic gold medals and 7 medals of the world championship (6 gold and 1 silver) at just 28 years old. Despite having competed in the heaviest weight class, Sadulaev’s technical advantage than his opponents allows him to win games through reversals and counterattacks.
9) Kyle Cheat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1smn_qniruw
Kyle Snyder is one of the greatest freestyle fighters active in the United States today. Before the recent Gold Medal by Amit Elor at the 2024 Olympics, Kyle Snyder was the youngest Olympic and World Champion in Wrestling in the United States Snyder is known for having exerted incessant pressure on his opponents, forcing their game plan outside the window.
Snyder and Sadulaev’s match-up is one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling in recent memory.
10) Kaori ICHO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_pi_vjp6a
Kaori ICHO is one of the greatest freestyle fighters of all time. By representing Japan, he won an incredible ten world championships and four Olympic gold medals. It is the first female to win an individual event four consecutive times and has never lost a game of the Olympics, making her a legend in her country and in her sport.
11) Artur Aleksanyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rorqm-ZFrmc
Artur Aleksanyan, also known as “White Bear”, is a Greek-Roman wrestler who represents Armenia. It is the most decorated Olympian in Armenia and the most famous Armenian athlete of the 21st century. Artur is a multiple Olympic medal (1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) and a more time world medal (4 golds and 3 silver).
12) Aleksandr Medved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ni1q_e_pss
Aleksandr Medved is considered one of the greatest fighters in history and the best Belarusian athlete of the 20th century. He was the first freestyle fighter in history to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in three different weight classes. Medved is also a seven times world champion. He is a well -known Wrestling technician and a master of this sport.
13) Schlutz Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ky-wpfxd0
The Schlutz brothers, Mark and Dave, were gold medals at the Olympic Olympics in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Mark was twice world champion and three times NCAA Division I champion, while Dave was a world medal several times (1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze). The brothers were known for their knowledge, technique and speed on the mats, which caused problems also for the best wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, during their training practice.
14) Saori Yoshida
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psaoy5WTGDS
Saori Yoshida is one of the greatest women wrestlers of all time and is one of the most decorated next to Kaori ICHO. By representing Japan, Soari surprisingly won 13 world championships, three consecutive Olympic gold medals and one silver. Today it is considered a living legend in women’s wrestling.
Conclusion
Becoming a wrestling sample is perhaps one of the most difficult results of sport. Wrestling requires incessant self -discipline and constant competition, not only against opponents, but against yourself. The wrestlers are often evaluated, often evaluated and tested weekly to ensure their place on the competition teams. In the end, the mats do not lie; They reveal the effort, determination and hard work that every athlete has invested, pushing everyone to improve and fight continuously for excellence.
Their stories, results and contributions serve as a testimony of the charm and lasting meaning of this sport. Both through their victories and their impact beyond the mats, these legends will be celebrated forever like some of the biggest competitors in the history of wrestling.
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