Russia’s Musa Gilaniyevich Evloev has proved that slow and steady wins the race. Over the course of his career, his solid results have constantly improved to the point that in 2019, he was crowned world champion for the second time in as many years, European champion for the first time, and won a gold medal at the World Military Games. It was an incredible year for a wrestler who had previously only one other gold, at the 2017 World Cup. His success has put him in pole position for an Olympic medal at the next games in Tokyo.
Evloev was born in March 1993 in Ingushetia, a federal republic in the north of Russia, whom he represents in international tournaments. Domestically, he wrestles for the Sparta team. In 2014, just weeks after his 21st birthday, Evloev competed in his first senior tournament, the European Championships in Finland, where he finished 17th. Later that year, he took part in his first World Championships in Uzbekistan; here he did better, narrowly missing out on a top-ten finish. After a break from international tournaments, he returned in 2016 with his first medal, a bronze at the European Under-23 Championships in Bulgaria. In 2017, he bettered that with a silver at the World Championships in France. In 2018, he bettered that with his first World Championship in Hungary. In 2019, he bettered that with his incredible trio of wins and Olympic qualification.
Such success in such a short period is rare in any sport. That Evloev has clearly worked towards it confirms that it’s no fluke.
