The race for a world title at 79 kg will feature a mix of returning medalists and wrestlers looking to establish themselves among freestyle wrestling's elite.
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At the 2026 Senior World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, American Levi Haines will have another opportunity to reach the top of the podium after a runner-up finish in 2025. Iran's Mohammad Nokhodi and Azerbaijan's Dzhabrail Gadzhiev also return as proven international contenders, setting up an intriguing competition in one of freestyle wrestling's most competitive divisions.
Here are three reasons to keep an eye on 79 kg at the 2026 Senior World Championships.
1. Levi Haines Is Chasing His First Senior World Title
Levi Haines returns to the 79 kg division after earning a silver medal at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
The American also captured gold at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia, giving him championship success at both the senior and age-group levels.
Haines will look to build on those results in Astana as he pursues his first Senior World title. After reaching the world final in 2025, he has already demonstrated that he can compete for gold against the best wrestlers in the division.
2. Nokhodi and Gadzhiev Bring Proven International Credentials
Iran's Mohammad Nokhodi enters the 79 kg division as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the field. A five-time Senior World medalist, Nokhodi has earned three silver medals and two bronze medals at the World Championships. His silver-medal finishes came in 2021, 2022 and 2024, while he captured bronze in 2023 and 2025.
Nokhodi has also found success at the age-group level, winning the U20 World Championships in 2021 and earning silver at the 2019 U23 World Championships. He added a cadet world bronze medal in 2017, building an international resume that spans multiple levels of competition.
Azerbaijan's Dzhabrail Gadzhiev is another contender with an impressive international background. Although he has yet to win a Senior World medal, Gadzhiev finished fifth at the 2025 World Championships after losing to Nokhodi 4-2 in the bronze-medal match.
Gadzhiev's age-group accomplishments include U20 world titles in 2022 and a cadet world title in 2019. He also won U20 world silver in 2021 and U23 world bronze in 2024.
With Nokhodi's extensive Senior World medal history and Gadzhiev's record of success at the age-group level, both wrestlers have compelling cases as contenders to watch at 79 kg.
3. The Road Through 79 kg Won't Be Easy
The 79 kg division offers more than a handful of familiar names. Its international field includes wrestlers from across the globe, each bringing different experience and styles to the competition.
Along with the returning medalists, entries such as Mongolia's Suldkhuu Olonbayar, Slovakia's Akhsarbek Gulaev and Belarus' Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau add to the depth of the bracket.
That variety makes the draw especially important. A wrestler hoping to reach the final must navigate each round without overlooking an opponent, and one difficult matchup can quickly change the outlook of a medal run.
With a returning world finalist in Haines and multiple international medalists in contention, 79 kg has the potential to deliver compelling matchups from the opening rounds through the championship bout.
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