Two bronzes, Yevloyev's final and Vorobieva's failure: how Russian wrestlers started at the Tokyo Olympics

Bronze start

Competitions of wrestlers at the Tokyo Olympics began the day before with preliminary bouts in three weight categories - up to 60 and 130 kg in Greco-Roman wrestling and up to 76 kg in women.

For the first time, at the main starts of the four-year period, the format that was established at the world championships was applied, when athletes start performing on one day, and medals are awarded the next.

For Russians, only bronze medals could become the first possible "catch".

In the tournament of the lightest male wrestlers for the national team, Sergey Emelin played, who won the World Championship in 2018 and lost in the final of the next year to the Japanese Kenichiro Fumite.

On sowing, they were supposed to play for gold this time, but the Russian did not work out right away.

In the first battle, Emelin met with the Egyptian Haytem Mahmud. He made a fantastic four rolls in a row, but the judges canceled them due to a knock on the knee. The native of Mordovia still won, having spent as much strength in one fight as in two. In the quarterfinal match with Cuban Luis Horta, he led with a score of 3: 0, but twice could not resist on the mat and lost with a difference of one point. Emelin could only fight for the bronze in the consolation tournament, provided the opponent reached the final.

Having passed the American Ildar Khafizov, who in the past played for Uzbekistan, the Russian met with the well-known Moldovan Victor Ciobanu. It was with him that he fought in the final of the world championship three years ago. Their fight in Tokyo started very actively. After spending almost a minute on the capture, Emelin nevertheless achieved his goal and threw Chobana on his back, earning four points. In the second period, the Russian was able to develop an advantage on the ground, and then the opponent himself gave up two points, starting to wring his fingers. On the second attempt, Emelin made another cool throw and finished the fight ahead of schedule - the first medal went to the piggy bank of the Russian wrestlers.

Further, heavyweight Sergei Semyonov tried to rise to the podium.

He was not a clear favorite of the competition, but he was very lucky with the tournament grid - neither the four-time world champion of the Turks Ryza Kayaalp, nor the Cuban Mijain Lopez, who came for the fourth Olympic gold, could meet on his way to the final.

But the Russian did not seize the chance to win a more valuable award than the one he won in Rio de Janeiro.

In the quarterfinals, Semyonov lost to the Georgian Jacobi Kadzhae.

He earned nothing on the ground except an automatic point, while the opponent found an opportunity to hold a hold for three and thereby ensured the result he needed.

The Moscow region wrestler followed Yemelin off to console himself with a possible bronze medal.

Here he was lucky again with the net - Kayaalp, who lost to Lopez, ended up in its other half.

It was necessary to dispute the award first with the representative of Finland Elias Kuosmanen (which the Russian easily coped with), and then with the Chilean Yasmani Acosta.

As if realizing that the fight would be completely ineffective, Semyonov applied a cunning tactical technique and was the first to go to the ground.

Then he easily jumped to his feet, and already in the second period he himself earned a point for the fact that it was the opponent's turn to lie on the carpet.

The fact that the last action was formally performed by the Russian wrestler allowed him to again become a bronze medalist.

And Lopez won gold again, and for the fourth time in a row - this has not yet been achieved by any Greco-Roman wrestler in history.

Golden fight for Evloyev

And before the finals of the second day, preliminary fights took place in three more categories.

In one of them, it was impossible to imagine that the Russian representative would be defeated and turn off the path for gold.

Musa Yevloyev, competing in weight up to 97 kg, came to Tokyo as the only Greco-Roman wrestler who has won the last two world championships and was the undoubted favorite.

The first fight, however, was held by the Ingush fighter tensely.

In the fight with Giorgi Melia, he immediately earned a pit, but with difficulty made only one roll.

Answer the Georgians in the same way in the second period, he would have won on priority.

Fortunately, the Russian worked perfectly in defense and ended the fight in his favor.

In the quarterfinals, Yevloyev met with the Hungarian Alex Söke, whom he won in the last year's World Cup final. The Russian again did not allow anyone to approach himself in the stalls and in response he threw his opponent out of the mat. Bringing the fight to victory with a score of 6: 2, he was the first Russian wrestler to break into the top four.

A ticket to the final, which will be held on August 3, was challenged by Yevloyev with the Pole Tadeusz Michalik. Although the opponent got the fourth number when seeded, he did not win anything more prestigious than the bronze of the European Championship five years ago. The difference in titles immediately became visible on the carpet. On the ground, the Russian finally showed himself to the fullest and earned a five-point lead. Mikhalik did not find any counterarguments and naturally conceded. Musa will now hold one of the most anticipated fights of the entire tournament of fighters against the Olympic champion Artur Aleksanyan from Armenia.

Unfortunately, other Russians failed to achieve the same intermediate successes. In weight up to 77 kg, Alexander Chekhirkin tried to become the heir to the two-time champion Roman Vlasov, but in the quarterfinals he could not cope with the Armenian Karapet Chalyan. The opponent earned only one point for pushing off the carpet, after which they exchanged points for the ground. The Russian had plenty of time to come out ahead, but the score never changed. But trouble did not come alone - the Armenian did not make it to the final himself, so Chekhirkin had no chances even for bronze. In the same way, the 2012 Olympic champion Natalya Vorobyova and Khanum Veliyeva performed in Tokyo, so other girls will have to wait for the first medal in women's wrestling.