65kgs at the Olympic Games will be a bloodbath. Multiple world champions in the field, but most notably reigning Olympic Champion Takuto Otoguro of Japan is no longer their representative after being overtaken by Kotaro Kiyooka.
The Field:
- Ismail Musukaev (Hungary)
- Shamil Mamedov (Russia)
- Rahman Amouzad (Iran)
- Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan)
- Tulga Tumur-Ochir (Mongolia)
- Zain Retherford (United States)
- Vazgen Tevanyan (Armenia)
- Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
- Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan)
- Islam Dudaev (Albania)
- Austin Gomez (Mexico)
- Sebastian Rivera (Puerto Rico)
- Alejando Valdes (Cuba)
- Goderdzi Dzebisashvili (Georgia)
- Georgii Okroovv (Australia)
- Gaku Akazawa (Samoa)
Ismail Musukaev (Hungary)
Musukaev was finally able to put it together this past year and win gold at the world championships in Belgrade after winning bronze medals in 2019 and 2022.
Musukaev posted wins over Shamil Mamedov, and Rahman Amouzad en route to winning the world championships last year and finished it off with an 11-0 technical superiority victory over Sebastian Rivera in the finals
Shamil Mamedov (Russia)
Mamedov won bronze at the world championships last year with his only loss of the tournament coming to Musukaev. In the bronze medal match he posted a big win over Iran’s Rahman Amouzad.
Rahman Amouzad (Iran)
Amouzad, along with Mamedov and Musukaev is one of the favorites to win gold in Paris. Amouzad won gold at the 2022 world championships in Belgrade but things did not go his way this past year missing the podium with close losses to Musukaev and Mamedov.
Ernazar Akmataliev (Kyrgyzstan)
Akmataliev has been up at the 70kg weight class when he won his bronze and silver at the world championships in 2021 and 2022. He will most likley not be a threat to win the tounament but could very well get on the podium should some things go his way.
Tulga Tumur-Ochir (Mongolia)
Tumur-Ochir won bronze at the 2021 world championships in Oslo. Very dangerous wrestler to face in the bracket and had a phenomenal showing at the last chance qualifer dominating his way to picking up an olympic qualification with wins over wrestlers such as Sujeet Kalkal and world champion Zain Retherford.
Zain Retherford (United States)
Retherford is a big wildcard here, he won the world championships in 2023 at the 70kg weight class but was forced to wrestle at the last chance qualifier since the United States did not qualify the weight class yet. Will he be the same guy in Paris that we saw that the world championships last year? Who knows, but he is definitely in position to grab a medal.
Haji Aliyev (Azerbaijan)
Haji Aliyev is the most decorated wrestler in the field as a 3x world champion winning titles in 2014, 2015 and 2017. His Olympic resume is impressive as well winning bronze in Rio back in 2016 and silver at this past Olympic Games in Tokyo.
However he is now 33 years old and since Tokyo he has not medaled at the world championships since then. There is a good chance that this will be the final event for Aliyev as he wraps up his legendary career.
