Buvaisar Saitiev

Buvaisar Hamidovich Saitiev, also spelled Buvaysar Hamidovich Saytiev, (Russian: Бувайсар Хамидович Сайтиев, Chechen: Сайт КIант Бувайса) (born March 11, 1975) is a Russian retired freestyle wrestler of Chechen heritage, who represented Russia, and won nine world-level gold medals in freestyle wrestling (second most, behind Aleksandr Medved's ten). He is widely considered as the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time.[1][2][3][4] He currently is an acting State Duma Deputy from Dagestan.[5][6][7]

Buvaisar Saitiev
Personal information
Born (1975-03-11) March 11, 1975
Khasavyurt, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
CountryRussia
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle
ClubMindiashvili wrestling academy
Coached byDmitri Mindiashvili
Medal record
Men's Freestyle Wrestling
Representing  Russia
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 3 - -
World Championships 6 - -
European Championships 6 - -
Total 15 0 0
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1996 Atlanta74 kg
Gold medal – first place2004 Athens74 kg
Gold medal – first place2008 Beijing74 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place Atlanta 199574 kg
Gold medal – first place Krasnoyarsk 199776 kg
Gold medal – first place Tehran 199876 kg
Gold medal – first place Sofia 200176 kg
Gold medal – first place New York 200374 kg
Gold medal – first place Budapest 200574 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place Budapest 199674 kg
Gold medal – first place Warsaw 199776 kg
Gold medal – first place Bratislava 199885 kg
Gold medal – first place Budapest 200076 kg
Gold medal – first place Budapest 200176 kg
Gold medal – first place Moscow 200674 kg
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place Edmonton 199474 kg
Updated on 5 September 2014.

Life

In 1992, Buvaisar left his hometown of Khasavyurt, Dagestan in order to train at a prestigious wrestling center in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. His younger brother Adam Saitiev would follow in his footsteps.

Soon after graduating from the training center, Saitiev began his quest to represent Russia on the world stage. Buvaisar has been decorated with the Order of Friendship by the Russian president. His younger brother Adam Saitiev, also a wrestler, won gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Buvaisar's life philosophy has been heavily influenced by Nobel Prize-winning poet Boris Pasternak. Saitiev repeats Pasternak's poem, "It is not seemly to be famous,[8]" before every match, and according to Buvaisar, the poem has defined his life both inside and outside of wrestling.[9]

Wrestling career

Saitiev has won nine World-level gold medals. He is a six-time World champion and a three-time Olympic champion. His senior level international career began in 1994 and continued on through the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In thirteen years, he competed in eleven World or Olympic championship tournaments, winning nine gold medals at those events and losing only two bouts. Buvaisar won at the World championships in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2005, and won at the Olympics in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

His only two loses at the World or Olympic championships were in 1994, to Iranian wrestler Davoud Ghanbari at the 1994 Wrestling World Cup at the age of 18, and in 2000, to American wrestler Brandon Slay at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 1999, Buvaisar did not wrestle at the World championships, instead his weight class was represented by his younger brother Adam Saitiev, who went on to win the gold medal. Saitiev also did not compete at the World championships in 2002, after having lost to Magomed Isagadjiev at the 2002 Russian Nationals. Isagadjiev went on the win a silver medal at the World championships. In 2007, Saitiev was beat out for the Russian team by Makhach Murtazaliev, who went on to win the World title. According to media reports, Saitiev's training in 2007 was hampered by a neck injury. His Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics was his last wrestling competition and the final of his nine total World or Olympic level championships.

References
  1. "Olympics-Russian wrestler Saitiev abandons comeback attempt". Reuters. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. R, Coach Mike (27 June 2014). "The greatest wrestler ever, Buvaisar Saitiev, flattens a toddler". SB Nation. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  3. UFC Fight Night 35 fact grinder, SB Nation, Retrieved June 18, 2014
  4. Wyman, Patrick. "Why Are UFC Champions Hanging Out With An Accused Russian War Criminal?". Deadspin. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  5. "Бувайсар Сайтиев станет депутатом Госдумы от Дагестана". Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  6. "Рамзан vs Сагид. Почему Абдулатипов провел в Думу Бувайсара, но сломал карьеру Сажида?". Archived from the original on 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  7. Админ, Автор (20 September 2016). "Бувайсар Сайтиев прошёл в Госдуму от Дагестана". Годекан (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  8. "It is Not Seemly to be Famous... Poem by Boris Pasternak". 3 April 2010.
  9. The Silent Gladiators, p. 237
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