The World Championships in Oslo are a few days away somehow. Covid delaying the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 results in an unusually short turnaround between Olympic and World Championship competition. As a fan I have no complaints. The write up below will focus on a few highly touted guys who will be making their debut at a senior level World Championship competition.
Yianni Diakomihalis (USA), 65 kg
The Yianni era appears to finally be upon us. Wrestling fanatics have been waiting basically since Yianni graduated high school for him to break through and make a senior world team. After disappointment at the Olympic Trials, Yianni left no doubt when he won the US World Team spot a couple weeks ago in Nebraska. This kid is electric on the mat. A true unicorn, the 22 year old possesses a blend of flexibility, balance and strength that is just not normal. Although a rookie at the World Championships, Yianni holds wins over Rio Olympic Gold medalist Vladimer Khinchegashvili, Tokyo Olympic Bronze medalist Bajrang Punia, and 2019 World Bronze medalist and certifiable maniac Ismail Musukaev (see match below) in international competition. Kid has the goods, and everybody knows it. I think the bigger challenge for him was breaking through the domestic competition state side to make the team. Now that he’s finally through and on the world stage I believe he runs the table and brings home gold in Oslo. Below is Yianni being a freak at the World Team Trials (captured captured beautifully in a tweet by Olympic Gold medalist Kendall Cross), as well as his aforementioned win over Ismail Musukaev at the 2019 Yasar Dogu tournament in Turkey.
Rahman Amouzad Khalili (IRI), 61 kg
This kid is 19 years old and first came on to my radar when he wrestled 4X NY State Champ Stevo Poulin in the semi finals of the 2019 Cadet World Championships. As someone who’s seen Stevo wrestle in person multiple times at the NY State Championships, and who knows how dominating a wrestler Stevo is in the US for his age level, I was shocked by the utter beating this Iranian put on him. If I had to pick one word to describe Rahman’s wrestling it would be: VIOLENCE. Kid has a great underhook with a forward pressure style like most Iranians, but the intensity of his hand fighting, shucks, and even just how he explodes into digging the underhook to begin with is pretty wild. A bronze medalist at the individual World Cup in 2020, it would not surprise me at all to see him medal in Oslo. Iran could be looking at their next superstar. Below is video of his above mentioned match with Poulin, along with highlights from his Junior World title run this past year.
Abasgadzhi Magomedov (RUS), 61 kg
This is probably the wrestler I’m most eager to see compete. The 23 year old is being touted by many as the next freestyle savant to come out of Dagestan. Magomedov won gold at Euros this past year, U23 gold in 2019, and Junior World gold in 2018. He’s a 2X Russian National Champ, and 3X Yargin medalist, winning gold this past year. He’s been pretty untouchable at 61 kg for the better part of two years. A rangy wrestler with freaky strength and ridiculous technique, this guy might be one of the best pound for pound wrestlers in the world. Below is him pinning Olympic Bronze medalist Thomas Gilman at the 2019 Yarygin.