Kazakhstan’s Khorlan Zhakansha is Greco-Roman wrestler has become a prominent fixture of the Asian Wrestling Championships over the past few years, taking three consecutive bronze medals in the 55kg category, winning his latest in New Delhi, India in early 2020. In 2019, he also began to make his mark on the world stage, winning silver in the same category at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan, fittingly, in Kazakhstan.

Greco-Roman wrestling is one of the oldest forms of wrestling and one that has been an Olympic sport for well over a century. It differences from its freestyle wrestling counterpart in that opponents are not allowed to use their legs to either attack or defend. It is competed in varying weight categories with Zhakansha’s favoured 55kg (roughly eight-and-a-half stone) being the lowest. Born in 1992, Zhakansha is a relative latecomer to the international scene, winning his first Asian Championship medal at the age of 25. However, he’s certainly made up for lost time with consistent wins against some of the sports’ biggest names.

His first Asian Championship success came in 2018, when the tournament was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The following year, he travelled to Xi’an China, finishing joint-third. Months later, he was the World Championships in his home country, where he lost out only to Georgia’s Nugzari Tsurtsumia in the final. In February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic put the entire world on hold, he won his third Asian bronze. When the sporting world resumes, Zhakansha will be one to watch for further, greater successes.