USA’s Youngest Olympic Wrestling Champion Clinches Bronze in Bittersweet Victory Following Unexpected Injury of Neutral Competitor

The 2023 World Wrestling Championship has delivered some of the most exciting matchups in wrestling so far. The tournament yielded several flawless victories and the revival of several rivalries as well. American heavyweight wrestler Kyle Snyder achieved both of those things for his bronze medal. However, the win wasn’t exactly what Snyder was looking for. 

America’s 3x wrestling world champion, Kyle Snyder, powered through the repechage match to face his longtime Russian rival. But, despite his efforts to earn a way to the bronze medal match, something he didn’t anticipate welcomed Snyder.

Taking home a bittersweet bronze

Kyle Snyder is America’s youngest wrestler to win a gold medal in both the Olympics and the World Championships. The 97kg weight-class wrestling expert has exploited his superior grappling techniques to wreak havoc on the mat. Snyder enjoys a flawless Pan American Championship campaign, where he has won six gold medals. The only other wrestler to level the competition against Snyder’s unparalleled strength was Abdulrashid Sadulaev. The Russian wrestling superstar’s latest triumph over Snyder came at the Tokyo Olympics, where he sent him home with a silver. 

Snyder and Sadulaev reigned at the top of the wrestling world. In fact, the last eight years saw both men enter the finals of every Olympics and World Championship event. However, a young Bahraini wrestler shut the doors of the finals on both wrestling powerhouses. 20-year-old Akhmed Tazhudinov made quick work of both seasoned wrestlers as he competed in his maiden world championship at Belgrade. While Snyder was merely forced to slip down to a bronze match, his frenemy Sadulaev suffered a great injury as well. 

According to United World Wrestling (UWW), “Sadulaev is suffering from a neck hernia, towards the end of his spinal cord. Medical scans will determine if it is a tumor or if Sadulaev can return to the mat without surgery.” Unfortunately, the reigning Olympic champion had to forfeit the world championship, leaving behind his opponent with a bittersweet bronze victory. While Snyder couldn’t face Sadulaev at Belgrade, his bronze victory qualified the US to compete in Paris. Snyder will now look forward to meeting his frenemy once again, and also reclaim his indomitable throne from Tazhudinov.

Defending world wrestling champion to avenge flawless defeat

Kyle Snyder and Akhmed Tazhudinov faced each other in the quarter-finals of the World Wrestling Championship. The young Bahraini wrestler was up against one of the greatest wrestlers in the league and the reigning world champion. However, Tazhudinov didn’t flinch for even one moment as he defeated the fierce American grappler. Interestingly, Tazhudniov didn’t give away even a single point to Snyder and clinched a perfect win.

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The six-minute exchange of holds, slams, grapples, and takedowns between Snyder and Tazhudinov yielded a score of 11-0. This marked a very embarrassing defeat for the accomplished Snyder, who isn’t very used to losing. To add insult to injury, even the repechage match was granted to Snyder by Tazhudinov after he beat Sadulaev in the semi-finals. The American wrestling giant will now seek to reclaim his pride and his top position at the 2024 Olympics. Will Snyder be able to avenge his Belgrade loss at Paris?

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