Dear sports fans, from today we will acquaint you with the types of sports, the composition of athletes and coaches who are engaged in and undergo sports training at the Nur-Sultan Olympic Training Center.

Recall that the main tasks of the Center are to prepare athletes, organize their training in freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, women's wrestling, taekwondo, judo, WKF karate, road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, rowing, kayaking, rowing canoe, kayak, canoe. The Center also carries out work on the organization and conduct of centralized training throughout the year to improve the skills of athletes in clay pigeon shooting, archery, triathlon, athletics and popularization of mass sports among the population.

We begin introductory information about freestyle wrestling.

What is freestyle wrestling?

Freestyle wrestling is an Olympic sport, it is a single combat between two athletes using various techniques, such as throws, grabs, coups and others. The goal of this sport is to lay the opponent on the shoulder blades and in it, unlike Greco-Roman and belt wrestling, grabbing the opponent's legs, sweeping and active use of the legs when performing any technique are allowed. The fight of the wrestlers takes place on a special carpet with a diameter of 9 meters, on which athletes are allowed to use all the methods of wrestling of the peoples of the world. Freestyle wrestlers win by counting or by placing their opponent on the mat.

A little about history

Freestyle wrestling appeared at the end of the 19th century, a little later than Greco-Roman wrestling. Lancashire (England) is considered the birthplace of this sport, later it was brought to America, where it began to develop in two directions: wrestling and freestyle wrestling. In 1904 it was recognized as an Olympic sport and included in the program of the Olympic Games in St. Louis (USA).

In the Kazakh land, stories about mighty warriors were passed from generation to generation and folk tales, legends from an early age instilled in young wrestlers a love of testing their strength in duels between two completely unarmed rivals who tried to knock each other on their shoulder blades. Competitions of wrestlers were spectacular moments in all festivities.

Freestyle wrestling sports competitions have been held in Kazakhstan since 1955. K. Baidosov and Zh. Iskakov became the winners of the 1956 Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.

In the Freestyle Wrestling department of the Nur-Sultan Olympic Training Center, young athletes train in 2 age groups:

1. teenagers, cadets (15-17 years old);
2. boys, juniors (18-20 years old).

Youth, adolescents, consisting of 20 athletes, train with senior coaches Madiyar Kuramysov, Samat Zhakypov. Teenagers, cadets of 20 people undergo sports training with senior coaches Erkebulan Keshubaev, Karisbek Makhanbetov.

The team of young athletes of the Freestyle Wrestling Center consists of World Cup winners, champions and prize-winners of the Asian Championship. In particular:

• World Championship among cadets (2018): Zhalgasov Bekzat - 3rd place;
• Asian Championship among cadets: Esengeldy Asylzhan - 2nd place, Gafurov Yunus - 2nd place, Ilyasov Islambek - 3rd place.
• World Cadet Championship (2019): Akhmadzhanov Jahongir - 2nd place; Taji Bekzat - 3rd place at the World Cadet Championship (2019);
• Asian Championship among cadets: Bazarbayev Merey - 3rd place, Tulegenov Akniet - 3rd place, Olzhakhanov Olzhas - 3rd place, Kuanyshbai Nurdaulet - 3rd place.

The freestyle wrestlers of the Nur-Sultan Olympic Training Center purposefully train and prepare for the next competitions, and the coaching staff is aimed at bringing up new winners.

In the next article, we will inform you about Greco-Roman wrestling.