Four Champions, One Podium: The Stories Behind the 97kg Podium
The 97kg podium at the 2025 World Championships was a beautiful sight—but beyond its visual appeal lies something even more compelling: the one-year journeys of the four men who stood on it. Each arrived there through a unique path marked by setbacks, breakthroughs, and defining moments.
Kyle Snyder: A Comeback Fueled by Adversity
We begin with the gold medalist, America’s Kyle Snyder. Following a disappointing result at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Snyder launched into 2025 with intensity. He defeated Abolfazl Babalu to win the first 2025 Ranking Series event in Zagreb. A few weeks later, he competed twice in the Padubny League, then reached Albania in less than 48 hours to compete again.
There, he fell to Arsh Yoshida in the semifinals and finished with bronze at the second Ranking Series.
Snyder appeared energized and determined—until he was pulled into a legal case that complicated his year. A world title became more than just a medal; it was his path to closing a painful chapter. With wins over Yoshida in the semifinals and Amirali Azarpira in the final, Snyder captured the world gold he desperately needed in 2025.
Amirali Azarpira: Breaking Shadows, Building Legacy
The silver medalist, Amirali Azarpira, overcame the ghosts of Belgrade 2023 and the struggles of competing at a lower weight. He put those memories behind him with an Olympic bronze and a renewed presence at 97kg.
Having already defeated Snyder twice before Worlds, Azarpira entered Tashkent with confidence. His most impressive achievement came in the semifinals: a victory over Akhmed Tajaldinov—an opponent he had wrestled closely at the Olympics, losing only in the final minute after leading most of the match.
Azarpira and Tajaldinov are expected to meet again on November 20 at the Islamic Solidarity Games, setting the stage for another high-stakes showdown.
Akhmed Tajaldinov: Talent at Risk of Fading Without Hunger
The first bronze medalist, Akhmed Tajaldinov, presents a different story. His Instagram page these days reflects everything except wrestling or the ambition that once drove him. Yet that ambition brought him great comfort and financial security, with Olympic and world titles won for Bahrain.
Tajaldinov struggled in Zagreb earlier this year—losing to Azarpira, barely defeating Russia’s Magomed Kurbanov, and taking bronze only after a difficult repechage match.
He has the talent and physical attributes to remain a top contender at 97kg. But unless he recaptures the hunger and drive he had before achieving financial stability, he risks falling behind the other rising contenders.
Arash Yoshida: A Japanese Heavyweight Rising Against Tradition
The second bronze medalist, Arsh Yoshida, is driven by the rare ambition of becoming one of the few Japanese wrestlers in history to contend seriously in the upper weight classes.
He earned his first world medal in Zagreb and followed it with a U23 World Championship title. Yoshida is progressing rapidly, quietly and consistently, without drama—focused entirely on climbing higher in a weight class where Japan has rarely produced stars.