picture of Taha Akgul

Akgul's reign as one of the best heavyweights in the world started a decade ago at the senior level Mediterranean championships in 2010 when he walked away with a silver medal. At the junior world championships that same year, Akgul was a silver medalist and following that never looked back as he entered senior level competition full time. 2012 was a busy year for the Turkish star starting off with him winning the Yasar Dogu, carrying that momentum into the European championships where he took home gold. Akgul went to the olympic qualifier a month later finishing as the runner up to qualify for the London games in 2012. While Akgul finished eighth at the olympics that year he would go to the university world championships two months later to take home gold.

  1. Mason Parris In Paris - 125 kg 2024 Olympic Preview & Prediction

    Mason Parris In Paris - 125 kg 2024 Olympic Preview & Prediction

    Jul 5, 2024

    The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature wrestling from August 5-11 with 125 kg in the men’s freestyle division taking place on August 9 and 10. Mason Parris is coming off a bronze medal performance at the 2023 World Championships and will represent Team USA in the Olympics at 125 kg. Check out the below article to see a preview of where Mason Parris stacks up with the best heavyweights in the world and for our medal prediction of 125 kg at this year’s Olympic Games.
  2. Team USA Men's Freestyle Updates At The 2022 World Championships

    Team USA Men's Freestyle Updates At The 2022 World Championships

    Sep 18, 2022

    It's all about the team race: USA vs Iran! It's party time in Belgrade, let's go!
  3. The Biggest Men's Freestyle Rivalries We Want Renewed At Worlds

    The Biggest Men's Freestyle Rivalries We Want Renewed At Worlds

    Sep 7, 2022

    One of the best things about the World Championships is that it increases the chances that you'll get to see the renewal of some of the raddest international rivalries in the sport of wrestling. And what's cooler than sports rivalries? Not much if we're being honest.
  4. 125kg 2022 World Championships Preview: Zillmer's Tough Road To A Medal

    125kg 2022 World Championships Preview: Zillmer's Tough Road To A Medal

    Aug 22, 2022

    Hayden Zillmer will be Team USA’s representative at 125kg at the 2022 Senior World Championships. Zillmer will take the mat September 15-16 in Belgrade, Serbia against a field that includes 3 past world champions. Check out a full preview of this loaded weight below to see a breakdown of the projected seeds, the favorites, and all the top challengers at 125kg.
  5. World Championships Men's Freestyle Bracket Reactions

    World Championships Men's Freestyle Bracket Reactions

    Oct 1, 2021

    The best part of waking up is seeing fresh brackets from Oslo, in our humble opinion. Day 1 competitors Daton Fix, David Taylor, Kyle Dake & Nick Gwiazdowski have their draws, let's break them down before action gets underway in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
  6. Olympic Games Expectations Vs Reality

    Olympic Games Expectations Vs Reality

    Aug 8, 2021

    What an insane Olympic Games.
  7. Dake, Steveson, & Winchester Receive Olympic Draws

    Dake, Steveson, & Winchester Receive Olympic Draws

    Aug 4, 2021

    There are no easy draws for Team USA on day 5 of Olympic wrestling in Tokyo, but World champs Kyle Dake and Jacarra Winchester and multiple time age level World champ Gable Steveson are certainly capable of adding to the US medal count. Here's what they'll be up against tomorrow.
  8. Tokyo Olympic Wrestling Betting Odds Breakdown

    Tokyo Olympic Wrestling Betting Odds Breakdown

    Jul 17, 2021

    Barstool just put out Olympic betting odds for every wrestling weight class being contested at Tokyo. They are the most comprehensive odds we've seen (if you know of others, please let me know!) which lends itself to careful analysis in our quest to find wagering value.
  9. Challengers To Team USA On Display At The Continentals

    Challengers To Team USA On Display At The Continentals

    Apr 22, 2021

    Both the Asian and European Championships went down over the past week. In men’s freestyle, 4 world champions and over 20 Olympians competed in the continentals. In case you missed some of the action, here are a few major takeaways and how they might influence Team USA this August in Tokyo.
  10. European Championships Preview

    European Championships Preview

    Apr 19, 2021

    The European Championships start Monday, April 19th with Men’s Freestyle and will be a preview of at least 16 Olympians. Those who are not qualified will use this as a tune-up for the Last Chance Qualifier in Bulgaria in early May. The tournament will be split into two days of competition for each weight. 
  11. The 9 Best Matches That Could Go Down At The Matteo Pellicone

    The 9 Best Matches That Could Go Down At The Matteo Pellicone

    Mar 3, 2021

    NCAA wrestling isn’t the only thing going down this weekend. The first UWW Rankings Series event is here and it’s going to be fun. With this tournament going towards the 2021 World Championship seeding, a lot of the big guns are coming out.