Olympics 2016: ‘Russian Tank’ Abdulrashid defies family to wrest gold

Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia (right) and Selim Yasar of Turkey compete during the men’s freestyle 86kg final.

Abdulrashid Sadulaev nicknamed ‘Russian Tank’ said Saturday that he defied his own family to become an Olympic champion after steamrolling Turkey’s Selim Yasar in the men’s 86kg freestyle wrestling at Rio.
Sadulaev’s gold came before Turkish heavyweight grappler Taha Akgul grabbed his country’s first gold medal of the Rio Games by topping the podium in the men’s 125kg class.
The 20-year-old two-time world champion Sadulaev won 5-0 for his maiden Olympic title, admitting afterwards that his parents had desperately tried to stop him becoming a wrestler in the first place.
“All of my relatives were against it but as soon as I started to do well they realised it was my destiny,” Sadulaev boldly told reporters after his convincing victory.
Sadulaev, from the Avar ethnic group in Russia’s Dagestan Caucasus, became a world champion at 18 and has dominated his weight category over the past two years.
“Of course I expected to be so dominant,” he purred when asked if his sensational early-career success had been beyond his wildest dreams. “With the amount of work I do it had to be like that,” the wrestler added.
The bruising Sadulaev, who has reportedly said he would consider a future career in mixed martial arts or ultimate fighting, never gave his Turkish opponent a look-in in the final.
Yasar, 26, twice needed treatment for a cut above his left eyebrow, such was the Russian’s dominance.
Sadulaev revels in his nickname of the “Russian Tank”, a moniker given to him by an American journalist when the young grappler was first making a name for himself.
“I came here to be an Olympic champion. Of course I was the favourite but the Olympics can be full of surprises and sometimes newcomers can win,” said Sadulaev.
Azerbaijan’s Sharif Sharifov and J’den Cox of the United States finished with bronze medals in the 86kg class.
Cox was losing with just six seconds remaining before the jury controversially overturned a decision by the referee, putting the American in an unassailable position.
His Cuban opponent Reineris Salas was incensed and refused to see out the remaining seconds as his coach was shown a yellow card for a finger-wagging rant at the jury.
Later, Akgul defeated Iran’s Komeil Ghasemi for Olympic gold in the men’s 125kg.
The 25-year-old Akgul won the first period 1-0 and the second 2-1 for a 3-1 victory and top spot on the podium for Turkey’s first gold of the 31st Olympiad.
“I gift this medal to the so many people who died in the recent troubles and their families,” Akgul said, referring to the recent skirmishes following a military coup.
Belarusian Ibrahim Saidau and Geno Petriashvili of Georgia claimed bronze.