We’re still processing all the epic moments from the Tokyo Olympics, including various age related questions. 

Like you, we were curious about oldest wrestler at the Games. Well, Geandry Garzón of Cuba takes that crown with an age of 37 and a birth year of 1983. On the other side of the age spectrum, the Russian heavyweight, Sergey Kozyrev, was the youngest competitor with an age of 18 and a birth year of 2002. 

And were there any wrestlers in the same bracket with the same birthday? Yes there was! Germany’s Gennadij Cudinovic and Djahid Berrahal of Algeria both competed at 125 kg and were born February 21, 1994. Unfortunately, they both suffered early losses and never faced off against each other. 

As for the rest of the field, the average age of the competitors at the time the Olympics started was just shy of 27 years old. 

Incredibly, there was at least one Men’s Freestyle Olympian who was born every single year between 1983 and 2002. Separated below are the Olympians who had the most impressive Tokyo performances compared to their fellow competitors that were born in the same year as them.  

Click on the name of the athletes to learn more about them 

1983 - Geandry Garzón (CUB)

Geandry Garzón was born on November 5, 1983, and was the only Men’s Freestyle wrestler born in 1983. The Cuban wrestled in the 74 kg bracket and finished his tournament as the 9th ranked wrestler in the weight. In the first round he lost 12-8 in a tight bout against eventual silver medalist Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR). Garzón then faced Kyle Dake (USA) in a repechage match and lost via tech fall. It is likely that Tokyo was the last Olympics that we will see Garzón compete in.

1984 - Augusto Midana (GBS)

Augusto Midana, born May 5, 1984, was also the only competitor born in this year. Similarly to Garzón, Midana wrestled in the 74 kg bracket and lost in the first round. The Guinea-Bissau wrestler drew Russian champion Zaurbek Sidakov and was defeated via a 12-2 tech fall. Midana was then pulled into repechage but again lost via a tech fall to Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB). Midana finished the tournament with an official rank of 11. Tokyo was Midana’s fourth, and likely final, Olympic appearance.

1985 - Magomed Ibragimov (UZB)

Magomed Ibragimov, who originally hails from Dagestan, is an Uzbekistan wrestler born June 2, 1985. He competed in Tokyo at 97 kg and finished his tournament with a rank of 11. In the first round Ibragimov lost in heartbreaking fashion after finishing 3-3 against Süleyman Karadeniz (TUR). This was Ibragimov’s only match, and Karadeniz went on to finish ranked 5th. Back in 2016, Ibragimov won a bronze medal in Rio. Now, his Olympic career might be finished.

Honorable Mention: Albert Saritov (ROU)

Albert Saritov was in the same 97 kg bracket as Ibragimov, but finished with a rank of 14. Saritov, born July 8, 1985, lost to Abraham Conyedo (ITA) via a 6-1 decision in the first round. Conyedo later went on to defeat Karadeniz in their bronze medal match. Saritov’s story is also similar to Ibragimov, as Saritov was a former Russian who began competing for Romania and won a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

1986 – Franklin Gómez (PUR)

Franklin Gómez was one of two Men’s Freestyle wrestlers born in 1986. The Puerto Rico representative at 74 kg was born August 5, 1986, and finished his tournament with a rank of 16. Unfortunately for Gómez, he faced Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB) in the first round and lost via a 10-0 tech fall. Due to Abdurakhmonov not making the finals, Gómez was not pulled into repechage, and his tournament consisted of that singular match. Tokyo was the third Olympics that Gómez has competed in, and he has failed to earn a medal in all three.

Honorable Mention: Aiaal Lazarev (KGZ)

Aiaal Lazarev was the other Men’s Freestyle wrestler born in 1986, specifically on March 19. Lazarev found himself in a situation similar to Gómez, and this resulted in the Kyrgyzstan wrestler also finishing his tournament with a rank of 16. In the 125 kg bracket, those who faced Gable Steveson (USA) were doomed, and Lazarev was his first round opponent. After a 10-0 loss to Steveson, Lazarev was pulled into repechage. There, a 4-0 loss to Taha Akgül (TUR) ended Lazarev’s tournament, and potentially his Olympic career.

1987 - Reineris Salas (CUB)

Reineris Salas was able to capture a bronze medal for Cuba after an impressive performance in the 97 kg bracket. Salas, born March 17, 1987, had a tight first round bout against Aliaksandr Hushtyn (BLR), but walked away with 4-3 victory. In the following round, Salas upset the four seed Magomedgadzhi Nurov (MKD) via a 6-4 decision. Salas drew Russian star Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the semifinals and suffered a 4-0 loss. He then had to battle against Sharif Sharifov (AZE) for a bronze medal, and won the bout on criteria 3-3.

1988 - Sharif Sharifov (AZE)

Sharif Sharifov is the Azerbaijani wrestler that lost to Reineris Salas (CUB) in a 97 kg bronze medal match. Sharifov had a tough draw and was beaten 5-0 by Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC) in the first round. Sharifov then rebounded with a 7-5 win against Elizbar Odikadze (GEO) in repechage before losing his bronze medal match. Sharifov, who was born November 11, 1988, was an Olympic champion in 2012 and a bronze medalist in 2016. His age combined with his declining results could signal that Tokyo was his last Olympic appearance.

1989 - Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ)

Daulet Niyazbekov, born February 12, 1989, came just a match shy of capturing a bronze medal at 65 kg. The Kazakhstan wrestler had an absolute banger of a first round matchup: winning 21-11 against Alejandro Valdés (CUB). Niyazbekov then went on to lose in the quarterfinals, win his repechage match, and then eventually fall to India’s Bajrang Punia in their bronze medal match. In his four matches, Niyazbekov outscored his opponents 32-28.

Honorable Mention: Deng Zhiwei (CHN)

Deng Zhiwei was another wrestler who nearly earned a bronze medal, but instead failed to win their final bout. The Chinese wrestler born January 29, 1989, started his tournament off strong with a 4-1 win versus Sergey Kozyrev (ROC), but ended up losing in the quarterfinals. Similarly to Niyazbekov, Zhiwei won his repechage match but fell in his bronze medal match up against Amir Hossein Abas Zare (IRI). Over a four-match span, Zhiwei scored the same amount of points on his opponents as his opponents scored on him.

1990 - David Taylor (USA)

“The Magic Man” David Taylor was one of two wrestlers to win gold for the United States. The 86 kg champ was born on December 5, 1990. Taylor earned tech fall victories over all three of his opponents on his way to the finals, where he was set to wrestle Iranian star Hassan Yazdani. In a match that has already cemented itself as an Olympic classic, Taylor defeated Yazdani 4-3 with a thrilling late takedown.   

1991 - Haji Aliyev (AZE)

Haji Aliyev hails from Azerbaijan and was born April 21, 1991. He competed in Tokyo at 65 kg and was able to earn himself a spot in the finals. In his first two matches, Aliyev outscored his opponents 13-1. Then, he faced India’s Bajrang Punia in the semifinals and defeated him via a 12-5 decision. Aliyev fought hard in his finals bout against Takuto Otoguro (JPN), but ended up losing 5-4. 

1992 - Frank Chamizo (ITA)

Frank Chamizo represented Italy at 74 kg and was one win away from capturing a bronze medal. Chamizo, who was born July 10, 1992, earned the number one seed and defeated his first two opponents via VPO1 (Victory by points – with point(s) scored by the opponent). In the semifinals, he suffered a heartbreaking 9-7 loss to eventual silver medalist Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR). The loss put Chamizo into a bronze medal match up with Kyle Dake (USA), which Chamizo ended up losing 5-0.

1993 - Abraham Conyedo (ITA)

Abraham Conyedo was born October 7, 1993, and was the only wrestler out of nine born in 1993 that captured a medal in Tokyo. Conyedo represented Italy at 97 kg and started his tournament strong with a 6-1 victory over Albert Saritov (ROU). Conyedo then suffered a 6-0 loss to Kyle Snyder (USA) in the second round and was sent to repechage. A 4-2 victory there over Canada’s Jordan Steen propelled him into a bronze medal match against Turkey’s Süleyman Karadeniz, which Conyedo won via a 6-2 decision.

1994 - Hassan Yazdani (IRI)

Hassan Yazdani was born December 26, 1994, and was looking to defend his 2016 Olympic title when he took to the mat in Tokyo. The Iranian star cruised to the 86 kg finals with some dominant wins, including his closest match being a 7-1 win against Artur Naifonov (ROC) in the semifinals. In the finals, Yazdani faced “Magic Man” David Taylor (USA) and held a one point lead going into the final seconds of the match. It was then that Taylor scored a takedown that would win him the match and force Yazdani to settle for silver. 

Honorable mention: Geno Petriashvili (GEO)

Geno Petriashvili was poised to do damage in the 125 kg weight class, as the man born April 1, 1994, was the number one seed. Petriashvili did end up becoming the only Georgian wrestler in Men’s Freestyle to capture a medal, however, he did not live up to his seed. Petriashvili had to settle for a silver medal after losing to Gable Steveson (USA) via a 10-8 decision with a wild last second takedown. Petriashvili ended up outscoring his tournament opponents with a total of 30-15. 

Honorable Mention: Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR)

Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov was a silver medalist from Belarus who shocked multiple wrestlers en route to his 74 kg finals appearance. Kadimagomedov, who was born May 26, 1994, earned his first upset win of the tournament in the quarterfinals when he defeated Kyle Dake (USA) 11-0. He then defeated number one seed Frank Chamizo (ITA) in the semifinals via a 9-7 decision. Kadimagomedov went on to lose his finals match against Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC) and finished his tournament having outscored his opponents 32-22. 

1995 - Zaur Uguev (ROC)

Zaur Uguev won a gold medal in Tokyo at 57 kg. The Russian Olympic Committee representative, who was born March 27, 1995, had one of the toughest paths to win his gold medal, as he won every match via a VPO1 decision. Uguev was able to hold off Thomas Gilman (USA) in the first round, but only defeated him 5-4. Then in the second round, Uguev tied Gulomjon Abdullaev (UZB) 6-6, but won on criteria. Uguev was then able to win by slightly larger margins of victories in his final two matches. Tokyo was the first Olympic appearance for Uguev, who had already won two World Championships and the 2020 Individual World Cup. 

1996 - Abdulrashid Sadulaev (ROC)

"The Russian Tank" Abdulrashid Sadulaev won a gold medal at 97 kg, and did so in dominant fashion. Sadulaev, who was born May 9, 1996, outscored his first three opponents 19-0 en route to reaching the finals. There he faced “Captain America” Kyle Snyder in an anticipated rematch of the 2017 and 2018 World Championship finals. In their two previous meetings, Snyder won the first match and Sadulaev won the second. In the Olympic finals, Sadulaev won the title with a 6-3 decision. Through adding this result to his total tournament performance, Sadulaev scored over eight points for every single point that his opponents scored on him.

Honorable Mention: Zaurbek Sidakov (ROC)

Zaurbek Sidakov, born March 14, 1996, is another Russian wrestler who won a gold medal in Tokyo. Sidakov cruised through the 74 kg bracket, outscoring his opponents 43-8. That means for every singular point his opponents scored, Sidakov scored over five points. Sidakov won via a tech fall in his first round and semifinals matches against Augusto Midana (GBS) and Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ), respectively. In Sidakov’s quarterfinals match he beat bronze medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB) 13-6 and in the finals he defeated Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) 7-0.

1997 - Ravi Kumar Dahiya (IND)

Ravi Kumar Dahiya was a 57 kg Men’s Freestyle wrestler from India who was born December 12, 1997. Dahiya was able to earn a silver medal, but nearly was not even in the finals. After winning via tech fall in both of his first two matches, Dahiya faced Nurislam Sanayev (KAZ) in the semifinals. Dahiya led 2-1 at the halfway point of their match, but soon let Sanayev increase his score to 9 points. Dahiya was able to win by pinning Sanayev, and was losing 9-7 at the time he earned the fall. Dahiya then lost 7-4 to Zaur Uguev (ROC) in the finals.   

1998 - Takuto Otoguro (JPN)

Takuto Otoguro was Japan’s only gold medalist in Men’s Freestyle and with a birthdate of December 13, 1998, was also their youngest Men’s Freestyle competitor. Otoguro entered the 65 kg bracket unseeded and truly had to work to earn his title. Over Otoguro’s four matches, he only outscored his opponents 18-10. In each of his first two matches he only won by three points, and both were VPO1 decisions. Then he only won his semifinals and finals matches by one-point margins, defeating Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC) and Haji Aliyev (AZE), respectively.

1999 - Deepak Punia (IND)

Deepak Punia was India’s youngest Men’s Freestyle wrestler, having been born May 19, 1999. Punia came one win away from capturing a medal in a tough 86 kg bracket, where at one point he lost 10-0 to David Taylor (USA). In his bronze medal match, Punia faced University of Michigan wrestler and San Marino representative Myles Amine. Punia ended up losing via a 4-2 decision. 

2000 - Gable Steveson (USA)

Not only was Gable Steveson the youngest person to earn a spot on Team USA’s Men’s Freestyle Team, but he was also the youngest Men’s Freestyle wrestler to win a gold medal in Tokyo. Steveson, who was born May 31, 2000, began his tournament by absolutely running through the 125 kg bracket. In his first three matches, Steveson outscored his opponents 23-0 and earned himself a spot in the finals. There he faced a tough matchup against Geno Petriashvili (GEO) but came away with an exhilarating 10-8 victory after a series of takedowns in the final seconds of the match. 

2001 - Amir Hossein Abas Zare (IRI)

Amir Hossein Abas Zare was the fourth youngest Men’s Freestyle competitor and the youngest on Iran’s team with a birthdate of January 16, 2001. Zare competed at 125 kg and left Tokyo with a bronze medal. Zare was able to reach the semifinals, but lost 6-3 to Geno Petriashvili (GEO). Zare then bounced back from this loss though, and handed a 5-0 defeat to China’s Deng Zhiwei in their bronze medal match.

2002 - Sergey Kozyrev (ROC)

Sergey Kozyrev, born September 18, 2002, is not only the youngest Men’s Freestyle wrestler to compete in the Olympics, but also the only Men’s Freestyle wrestler born in 2002. Kozyrev represented the Russian Olympic Committee at 125 kg, but only saw action in one match. Kozyrev lost to Deng Zhiwei (CHN) via a 4-1 decision in the first round, and finished the tournament with a rank of 11.