The World Olympic Qualification will be held in Turkiye, Istanbul, with the top three athletes in each weight class qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Spencer Lee and Zane Retherford will kick off the tournament with wrestling on Saturday, May 11th at 3am ET. Check out the article below for a quick breakdown of the Lee/Retherford pairing and what you'll have to do to get your ticket to Paris.
Beat Spencer Lee's draw
57kg bracket
Match 1 – Ben Tarik, Maluku
Lee will be a heavy favorite in the first round against Tariq, who has not had an outstanding performance at senior level. Tariq's best career result was a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the U17 World Championships, where Luke Lilledal ultimately won gold. I'm hoping that Lee will be able to quickly take down Tariq with his technique.
Match 2 – Wanhao Zou, China
China's Zou will be a bigger test for Li in the second round. Zou has been China's best 57kg wrestler since 2017 and finished fifth at the 2022 World Championships. Zou has impressive wins over world medalists Alireza Sarlacc and Horst Lehr at the senior level, but I still think Li should be considered the favorite here. Zou relies heavily on defense and I don't think it will be enough to stop Lee for six minutes.
Dayton Fix defeats Wanghao Zou:
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Match 3 – Vladimir Egorov, MKD
I believe Egorov will get through the first two rounds and face Spencer in the quarters. Egorov is a Russian player currently representing North Macedonia. Although he has never won a world medal, he won the European title in 2022 by defeating #9 Arribas Luzazard in the final. While this victory is notable, Egorov has not shown the consistency to break into the top 20 in the world rankings. Since that European title, he has missed out on medals in quick succession at the World Championships, losing to Darian Cruz. Lee should take Egorov seriously, but Lee is still the favorite here.
Egorov defeats Luzazade:
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Match 4 – Alireza Sarlak, IRI/Rakhat Karzan, KAZ
This match is for an Olympic spot, and the two opponents listed above will most likely face Spencer in the semifinals. In my opinion, the most dangerous is Iran's Alireza Sarlaq. He won the world silver medal in 2021, only to lose 5-3 to Thomas Gilman. The Sarlaccs rely heavily on pressure and defense, and it may be difficult for Spencer to open up. With that in mind, Lee just defeated Gilman in two straight games, and the Sarlaccs are 0-2 in their career against Gilman.
Calzatto doesn't have the same credentials as Sarlacc, but he's had decent results over the past few years, suggesting he could beat Sarlacc and reach the semifinals. Karzan has medaled twice at the Asian Championships, with wins over Olympian Gromjon Abdullayev, world medalist Horst Lehr, world medalist Zanabazar Zandumbud and Nick Suriano.
Thomas Gilman’s victory over Alireza Sarlak in the 2021 World Finals:
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Beat Zane Retherford's draw
65kg bracket
Match 1 – Stefan Coman, ROU
Retherford will be the heavy favorite in the opening match against Romania's Stefan Coman. Coman has never won a medal at the World Championships or the Euros, and has no notable wins to suggest he can compete with Retherford. I expect Zayn to dominate Coman from start to finish.
Match 2 – Ibrahim Guzan, Yem
Retherford will be an even bigger favorite in this match. Guzan has consistently lost badly to opponents who are far from world-class. Zayn rolls here and advances to the next round.
Match 3 – Turga Tumul-Ochilu, MGL
This is where things get tough for Zayn, and the fact that this is a Round of 16 match shows the depth of this weight. Tumur Ochil won the bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships, along with world champion Ismail Muskayev, world champion Rahman Amouzad, Yani Diakomihalis, Joey McKenna, Nick Lee, Abdulmajid Kudiyev and many others. He has won against one of the top 65kg wrestlers. In my opinion, Tumul-Ochilu is the toughest wrestler in this weight class, and if Zayn defeats Tumul-Ochilu, he'll be in great shape to qualify for the Olympics.
Tumur Ochil defeats 2023 World Champion Ismail Muskayev:
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Match 4 – Abdulmadjid Kudiyev, TJK
Tumur vs. Ochil may be the biggest test in this bracket, but it won't be easy after the round of 16, and Retherford will face Abdulmadjid Kudiyev in the quarterfinals. Kudiyev is a Russian who currently represents Tajikistan and is currently ranked 20th in the world with a weight of 65 kg. He is incredibly talented, with three wins over the past 18 months over Shamil Mamedov, Russia's current top 65kg wrestler and 2023 world bronze medalist. Kudiyev has other quality wins over Alejandero Valdez, Umijon Jarolov and James Green. However, losses to Vazgen Tevanyan, Kim Kwangjin and Erik Arshanian show that he still has stability issues and is not an unstoppable force even at 65kg.
Match 5 – Sujeet Kalka, Indiana / Umijon Jaroloff, UZB
There are a number of wrestlers who could make it to the semifinals, but the two wrestlers listed above are the ones most likely to face Zayn in the semifinals. Sujit Kalka and Umijon Jarolov are both young candidates who could make a name for themselves in Istanbul. Jarolov won the U20 world title in 2022 and the Cadet world title in 2019. However, he has yet to break through at senior level, especially at last year's World Championships where he lost 4-3 to Nick Lee.
Sujeet was a bronze medalist at the 2022 U20 World Championships but has not gotten the opportunity to wrestle at the Senior World Championships. However, it is noteworthy that he defeated Yani Diakomihalis in the 2022 Tunisian Ranking Series tournament. Sujito, on the other hand, has no other results to show he's on Retherford's level, even losing a hard-fought 9-7 match to Sebastián Rivera last summer. If Retherford makes it to the semifinals, I fully expect him to beat whoever he meets there.
Sujeet beats Yani Diakomihalis:
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