Buvaisar Saitiev

Buvaisar Hamidovich Saitiev (, ; 11 March 1975 – 2 March 2025) was a Russian wrestler and politician. His total of nine world-level gold medals (three Olympics, six World Championships) in freestyle wrestling is second highest, behind Aleksandr Medved's 10. Saitiev is widely considered to be the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time; in 2007, he and Greco-Roman practitioner Aleksandr Karelin were voted the best wrestlers in the history of the sport by FILA.

After his retirement from competition, Saitiev served as an acting deputy from Dagestan in the 7th State Duma from 2016 until he stepped down in 2021. In 2015, he became the President of the Chechen Wrestling Federation, a position he held until his death in 2025.

Personal life Saitiev was born in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russian Federation on 11 March 1975, and was of Chechen descent. Saitiev left his hometown in 1992 in order to train at a prestigious wrestling center in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation. His younger brother Adam Saitiev later followed in his footsteps.

Soon after graduating from the training center, Saitiev began his quest to represent Russia on the world stage. Saitiev was decorated with the Order of Friendship by the Russian president. His younger brother Adam Saitiev, also a wrestler, won gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Saitiev's life philosophy was heavily influenced by Nobel Prize-winning poet Boris Pasternak. Saitiev repeated Pasternak's poem, "It is not seemly to be famous," before every match, and according to Saitiev, the poem defined his life both inside and outside of wrestling.

Saitiev had three sons and one daughter.

Death Saitiev died in Moscow on 2 March 2025, at the age of 49. Executive director of the Russian Wrestling Federation, Makhmud Magomedov, stated that Saitiev died of cardiac arrest, and Russia's minister of sport Mikhail Degtyarev said Saitiev had been ill, frequently visiting medical centres. Saitiev's widow, Indira, stated Saitiev had fallen out of a second-storey window before his death, indicating it was a non-accidental death. Russian outlet reported that a janitor found Saitiev lying injured on the ground near a residence on Minskaya Street, and called for an ambulance. Baza said Saitiev later died in hospital. Saitiev's death created an outpouring of grief. Khabib Nurmagomedov wrote on social media that "Saitiev inspired millions of children around the world", and Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, said Saitiev was "not only a legendary athlete, but also a man of high honour." Kadyrov announced three days of mourning in Chechnya in honour of Saitiev. Saitiev was a practicing Muslim and was buried next to his father in his hometown of Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Russian Federation following Muslim tradition. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Saitiev lost to Brandon Slay. Saitiev lost to Magomed Isagadzhiev at the 2002 Russian Nationals. Saitiev then lost to Mihail Ganev at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships. Saitiev lost at the 2007 Russian Nationals to Makhach Murtazaliev. He then lost at the 2008 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix, also to Murtazaliev.

His Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics was his last wrestling competition and the final of his nine total World or Olympic level championships.

Legacy In March 2025, it was decided to name a street in the Akhmatovsky District of Grozny, where the Republican Center for Wrestling is being built, after Buvaisar Saitiev.

In April 2025, the Russian Junior Wrestling Championship in memory of Saitiev was held in Grozny.

Since 2009, the city of Eupen in Belgium has hosted an international tournament named after Buvaisar Saitiev. In 2014, the competition was dedicated to the Saitiev brothers. Since 2025, it has once again been held in memory of Buvaisar Saitiev.

Match results

Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location

Win 46-2

Win 45-2

Win 44-2

Win 43-2

Win 42-2

Loss 41-2

Win 41-1

Win 40-1

Win 39-1

Win 38-1

Win 37-1

Win 36-1

Win 35-1

Win 34-1

Win 33-1

Win 32-1

Win 31-1

Win 30-1

Win 29-1

Win 28-1

Win 27-1

Win 26-1

Win 25-1

Win 24-1

Win 23-1

Win 22-1

Win 21-1

Win 20-1

Loss 19-1

Win 19-0

Win 18-0

Win 17-0

Win 16-0

Win 15-0

Win 14-0

Win 13-0

Win 12-0

Win 11-0

Win 10-0

Win 9-0

Win 8-0

Win 7-0

Win 6-0

Win 5-0

Win 4-0

Win 3-0

Win 2-0

Win 1-0