The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from Kazakhstan

This page contains a list of the greatest Kazakhstani Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 11 of which were born in Kazakhstan. This makes Kazakhstan the birth place of the 28th most number of Wrestlers behind Uzbekistan, and India.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Kazakhstani Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Kazakhstani Wrestlers.

1. Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov (1951 - 2020)

With an HPI of 54.27, Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov is the most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov (Kazakh: Жақсылық Әмірәліұлы Үшкемпіров; 6 May 1951 – 2 August 2020) was a light-flyweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Kazakhstan. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1980 and a world title in 1981. Ushkempirov took up wrestling in 1969 and won the Soviet title in 1975 and 1980. After retiring from competitions he worked as director of a sports school in Almaty in 1984–1993. In 1993 he founded the sports club Zhaksylyk and served as its president. Since 2001, an annual junior wrestling tournament has been held in Almaty in his honor.

2. Charalambos Cholidis (1956 - 2019)

With an HPI of 50.21, Charalambos Cholidis is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Charalambos "Babis" Cholidis (Greek: Χαράλαμπος Χολίδης; 1 October 1956 – 26 June 2019) was a Greek wrestler who competed, in the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1980 Summer Olympics, 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1988 Summer Olympics. He was born in Guryev, Kazakh SSR and died in Athens. He was named the 1978, 1983, and 1988 Greek Male Athlete of the Year.

3. Shamil Serikov (1956 - 1989)

With an HPI of 49.42, Shamil Serikov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shamil Serikov (5 March 1956 – 22 November 1989) was a Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion, who was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow where he won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, the bantamweight class. Serikov died by suicide in 1989.

4. Däulet Turlyhanov (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 45.04, Däulet Turlyhanov is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Däulet Bolatuly Turlykhanov (Kazakh: Дәулет Болатұлы Тұрлыханов, Däulet Bolatulı Turlıxanov, romanized: Däulet Bolatūly Tūrlyhanov; born 18 November 1963) is a Kazakh politician and former wrestler who is serving as member of the Mäjilis since 2023 and previously from 1996 to 2000. He is known for having competed in the 1988, 1992, and the 1996 Summer Olympics for men's freestyle wrestling.

5. Islam Dugushiev (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 44.40, Islam Dugushiev is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Islam Dugushiev (born 15 April 1966) is a Russian former wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics and in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

6. Yeldos Smetov (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 44.29, Yeldos Smetov is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Yeldos Smetov (Kazakh: Елдос Бақтыбайұлы Сметов, Eldos Bahtybaıuly Smetov; born 9 September 1992) is a Kazakh judoka and Olympic champion in 2024 in the under 60 kg weight category. He won gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games the 2015 World Championships, the 2016 Asian Championships, a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. In the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Smetov defeated Luka Mkheidze in the final and won the gold medal, becoming the first ever judoka from Kazakhstan and central asia to win a gold medal. Smetov also secured gold and bronze medals at the World Juniors Championships in 2010 and 2011, respectively. He joined the adult national team in 2012 and won a bronze at the 2013 Asian Championships in Bangkok, a silver at a Grand Prix stage in Samsun 2013 - a stage of the European Cup in Tbilisi, and gold at an open European Cup in Warsaw. His first coach was Akhmet Zhumagulov.

7. Arawat Sabejew (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 43.97, Arawat Sabejew is the 7th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Arawat Sabejew (born 24 September 1968) is a Soviet-German Freestyle wrestler. He won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Sabejew was also a two-time World Championships medalist, winning gold in 1994 and silver in 1995.

8. Aidyn Smagulov (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 41.63, Aidyn Smagulov is the 8th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Aidyn Smagulov (Kazakh: Айдын Смағұлов; born 1 December 1976) is a Kyrgyz and Kazakh judoka. He won the Kazakhstan championship in 1996 and went on to win the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the men's extra lightweight (‍–‍60 kg) category, together with Cuba's Manolo Poulot. He is the first Olympic medalist to represent Kyrgyzstan in the nation's history. An ethnic Kazakh, Smagulov was born and trained in Kazakhstan. He has represented Kyrgyzstan since 1999.

9. Maulen Mamyrov (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 41.57, Maulen Mamyrov is the 9th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Maulen Mamyrov (Мәулен Сатымбайұлы Мамыров; born December 14, 1970) is a Kazakhstani wrestler. At the 1996 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the Men's Freestyle Flyweight (48–52 kg) category.

10. Askhat Zhitkeyev (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 40.57, Askhat Zhitkeyev is the 10th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Askhat Rasulovich Zhitkeyev (Kazakh: Asqat Rasulūly Jıtkeev, born 13 April 1981) is a Kazakh judoka. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in the ‍–‍100 kg division and a bronze medal at the 2001 world judo championships in the ‍–‍100 kg division. He won three bronze medals at the ‍–‍100 kg category at the Asian Games.

People

Pantheon has 16 people classified as Kazakhstani wrestlers born between 1951 and 2001. Of these 16, 13 (81.25%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Kazakhstani wrestlers include Däulet Turlyhanov, Islam Dugushiev, and Yeldos Smetov. The most famous deceased Kazakhstani wrestlers include Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Charalambos Cholidis, and Shamil Serikov. As of April 2024, 5 new Kazakhstani wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Däulet Turlyhanov, Islam Dugushiev, and Arawat Sabejew.