Zaurbek Sidakov

Beslan terrorist attack On 1 September 2004, the school Sidakov attended – School no.1 in Beslan – was overtaken by Chechen terrorists in the Beslan school siege, which resulted in over 1,100 victims being held hostage and 334 victims murdered by Chechen terrorists over a three-day period where they would be held in the school's gym-hall without any food or water. Despite being children at the time, they understood what was happening when being evacuated from school, said Sidakov and he had friends and training partners who were being held as hostages. Future Olympic Wrestling teammate Artur Naifonov, a bronze medalist, also survived the siege.

Wrestling career

2018 Sidakov has won many medals throughout his career; he has won bronze, two silvers and three gold medals at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix from 2015 to 2023 – most recently, a gold at the Ivan Yarygin 2023. In 2016 he captured his first gold medal at the Grand Prix by defeating Russian National champion, Khusein Suyunchev. At the 2018 Yarygin Grand Prix, Zidakov entered at the quarter-final round and wrestled Turkish wrestler Muhammet Demir and won by 13–2 technical fall, in the semi-final round; he faced fellow training partner and Ossetian, Khakhaber Khubezthy by 5–0, thus advancing to the final round. Sidakov faced another training partner of his, Khetag Tsabolov and lost after giving up a last minute takedown, and lost by the score of 1–3, ultimately resulting in Sidakov taking the silver medal.

2018 Russian National Championships Sidakov entered the 2018 Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast in August 2018. In the round of 16, he defeated Konstantin Korolyov of Krasnoyarsk by 14–1 technical fall; Sidakov went on to defeat Magomed Magomedov of Moscow by 9–0 in the round of 8. In the quarter-finals, Sidakov defeated Timur Bizhoev of Krasnodar by 3–1 and advanced to the semi-finals where he defeated Evgeny Lapishov of Tatarstan by 10–0 technical superiority, thus advancing Sidakov to the finals, where he would face former opponent and training partner, Khetag Tsabolov. Sidakov ultimately got his revenge and the gold medal this time, as he won by 2–2 criteria scoring a takedown in the last 30 seconds.

2018 World Championships

Sidakov made his first appearance on the world stage when he entered the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In Sidakov's opening match, he faced and defeated Bulgaria's Miroslav Kirov by 10–0 technical-fall, and then defeated Franklin Gomez to advance to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final, he beat NCAA champion, Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion Jordan Burroughs 6–5, and Sidakov then beat Olympic Bronze medalist, and two-time European and World champion, Frank Chamizo by 3–2, advancing Sidakov to the final, opposite Georgia's Avtandil Kentchadze, a 2018 U23 European Championships Bronze Medalist – whom Sidakov defeated at the U23 Senior European Championships in the semi-final. After a hard-fought match between Sidakov and Kentchadze, Sidakov won by the score of 2*-2; winning by criteria; the gold medal; first place on the podium and his first senior world title.

2019

In 2019, World Champion Sidakov returned to the annually held Ivan Yarygin tournament in Krasnoyarsk. Zaurbek stormed his way into the finals, where he wrestled against Yakup Gor of Turkey, whom he defeated 5–4 to capture the gold medal.

In March, Sidakov was part of the Russian team at the Freestyle Wrestling World Cup held in Yakutsk. Sidakov, who was part of the first team, faced four-time World Championships medalist, Geandry Garzon of Cuba, whom Sidakov quickly dispatched by fall as a result of a well-timed cradle from a defended single leg. In Sidakov's second match, he wrestled Iranian Reza Afzali, whom Sidakov defeated by 6–0. Russia would then go on to win the World Cup with a score of 9–1 against Iran.

2019 European Games Sidakov was then placed on the Russian squad to wrestle at the 2019 European Games held in the capital of Belarus, Minsk. Entering into the tournament, Sidakov first met rival Avtandil Kentchadze of Georgia, who he defeated by the score of 5–3. In the semi-finals, Sidakov faced Azamat Nurykau and defeated him by a score of 6–4. In the final, Sidakov wrestled with three-time European Champion and World medalist, Soner Demirtaş of Turkey. After a minute of hand-fighting, Sidakov would shoot a single-leg causing Demirtas to sprawl out, after turning away, Sidakov would lock in a cradle and would go on to pin Demirtaş, declaring Sidakov the victory by fall, giving Sidakov the gold medal at the European Games.

2019 World Championships At the 2019 World Championships, Sidakov first defeated Mexican representative, Victor Hernandez, by a technical fall, 10–0. He went on defeating Kamil Rybycki 8–0 and Mao Okui, Japanese Academic World medalist, in the quarter-finals by a score of 6–0. In the semi-finals, Sidakov faced four-time World Champion and former Olympic Champion, Jordan Burroughs – a rematch of the 2018 World Wrestling Championships quarter-finals – and won in the same fashion as he did in 2018, by a last-second step-out to score 4–3. In 2019, Sidakov once again defeated Burroughs with a last-second step-out and after a failed challenge for a score of 4–3.

In what would be a rematch of the 2018 World Championships semi-finals, Sidakov faced two-time World Champion, Frank Chamizo, in the final. Sidakov used his tie-ups and hand-fighting to control most of the match, leaving Chamizo without any scoring chances; Chamizo was put on the shot-clock giving Sidakov a one-point lead for passivity at the half-way point. In the second period, Chamizo found a way to a single leg takedown and finish it for two-points to lead by a score of 2–1. After being down, Sidakov almost immediately began applying more pressure and managed to get a takedown of his own around 20 seconds later; leading 3–2, in the last twenty seconds, he would land another brief two-point takedown and defended his world title by a score of 5–2, ultimately resulting in Sidakov become a two-time Wrestling World Champion. Following his victory at the World Championships, Sidakov dedicated his victory to all those deceased as a result of the 2004 Beslan terrorist school attack.

2020 2020 Russian National Championships Following the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many of the wrestling tournaments had been cancelled nationally and internationally; thus Sidakov's first tournament in over a year would be at the 2020 Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Championships. In Sidakov's first match in over a year, he would suffer a shock upset defeat to teammate and friend, Khetag Tsabolov and lose 9–3; with Tsabolov reaching the final, Sidakov would be pulled into repechage. Sidakov would be faced with Azamat Khadzaragov of the same republic (North Ossetia-Alania), Sidakov was the victor by technical fall, which would allow him to the chance to wrestle for one of the two bronze medals. Opposite Sidakov, was 2016 world champion, Magomed Kurbanaliev, whom was defeated by the score of 9–1 – resulting in a bronze medal for Sidakov.

2021

2021 Russian National Championships Following Sidakov's unsuccessful 2020 National championships run, he would return at the 2021 national championships held in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia. Sidakov would start his run with a fall win over Khanty-Mansiysk's Tsyrenov, followed by a 4–0 shut-out against Dagestan representative Dzhaparov. In the quarter-final, Sidakov would be matched up with Dagestan's Kurbanaliev, whom Sidakov defeated by the score of 5–3; the semi-final consisted of a match-up with Kabardino-Balkaria's Timur Bizhoev, which was a tightly fought match; ultimately decided by Sidakov's strong defense and ability to keep a lead with a 5–3 win. In the final match, Sidakov faced Dagestan representative Razambek Zhamalov, who trains under the Saitiev brothers, in Khasavyurt. In what would be the closest match of Sidakov's run, two push-outs were scored within the last 15 seconds, giving Sidakov a 2*-2 criteria lead, and a failed challenge from Zhamalov's team gave Sidakov the 3–2 win and his third Russian National title. With the win at the 2021 Russian Nationals, Sidakov would be chosen to represent the Russian Olympic Committee at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which would be rescheduled for 2021, because of the ongoing pandemic.

2021 Sassari International Tournament Almost two months prior to the start of the Olympic games, Sidakov and most of the Russian National team would be sent to the Sassari City International to gain some pre-Olympic experience; Sidakov would win the gold medal after winning his three matches by two tech-falls and a pin.

2020 Tokyo Olympics With his gold medal and first place win at the 2021 Russian National Championships, Sidakov successfully qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, with a third place seed. On 5 August, in the round of 8, Sidakov was matched up with former Olympian, Augusto Midana of Guinea-Bissau, who was defeated by a 12–2 tech-fall, resulting in a successful Olympic debut. In the quarter-final, Uzbekistan's two-time Asian Champion, and Asian Games Champion, Bekzod Abdurakhmonov stood in the way; after a fairly competitive, Sidakov would be declared the winner with a 12–6 score; advancing Sidakov to the semi-final, opposite second seeded, Daniyar Kaisanov of Kazakhstan. Sidakov would fairly easily dispatch of Kaisanov by a 11–0 tech-fall, resulting in an advancement into the 74 kg finals opposite former Russian, and now Belarusian representative, Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov. In the final against Kadimagomedov, Sidakov controlled ties and always had strong wrist control, which rendered Kadimagomedov's strong over-hook offense ineffective and never afforded his opponent to get in a good shooting position; Sidakov would win by 7–0, accumulating one passivity point, a takedown, a cradle attempt and two push-outs to win the gold medal.

2022 To start 2022, Sidakov wrestled at the Ivan Poddubny Wrestling League, defeating Azamat Nurykau and teammates, Chermen Valiev and David Baev in the process to capture gold. In the final match against Baev, Sidakov sustained a knee injury which would render him unable to compete for most of 2022.

Sidakov returned at the Dmitry Korkin Memorial where he defeated Kurban Shiraev in the final, winning the gold medal.

2023 Sidakov started the wrestling season with a gold medal at the Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix after defeating Timur Bizhoev 4-0 in the final.

Sidakov planned to wrestle at the Russian National Championships, held in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, but had to withdraw due to illness. Instead, Sidakov returned at the Commonwealth Cup, held in his home of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania. Despite making it to the final, Sidakov suffered a shocking defeat to Timur Bizhoev.

Despite the loss, Sidakov was able to compete for the 74 kg spot on the national team that would be sent to the 2023 World Championships. Sidakov wrestled against 2023 Russian National Champion, Chermen Valiev. In a tightly contested match, Sidakov defeated his teammate by the score 3-2, winning a ticket to the 2023 World Wrestling Championships.

2023 World Championships Due to not being able to compete, Sidakov was unseeded going into the World Championships. To start the championships, Sidakov beat Avtandil Kentchadze in a 8-7 wild match. He then defeated Bekzod Abdurakhmonov 3-0 in the round of 16, then beating Younes Emami 6-0 in the round of 8. In the quarter-final Sidakov took on 2014 World Champion and former teammate, Khetag Tsabolov, defeating the Serbian-transfer by 6-4 in a competitive match. Sidakov then faced former U23 World Champion, Turan Bayramov in the semi-final; however, Sidakov defeated the Azeri wrestler 5-1, thus winning an Olympic quota and setting up a highly anticipated final with Kyle Dake.

In the final, Sidakov wrestled 4x World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medallist, Kyle Dake which resulted in a 17-point exhilarating final. After a passivity point and takedown from Sidakov answered by a push-out and takedown by Dake, Dake was up by criteria going into the last minute. Sidakov shot for a takedown, scoring two on an exposure; Dake responded with his own questionable exposure for two; Sidakov again with an exposure and reversal point, giving him three; Dake then scored his own exposure to end the exchange and Sidakov was up 8-7 after a challenge from Dake's team. Dake then tried a desperate attack with five seconds left, which resulted in Sidakov rolling Dake over his own back, giving Sidakov a further two points and after another challenge, Sidakov won the match by the score 10-7, and in the process, winning a third world title.

Freestyle record

Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location

Win 114-14

Win 113-14

Win 112-14

Win 111-14

Win 110-14

Win 109-14

Win 108-14

Win 107-14

Win 106-14

Win 105-14

Win 104-14

Loss 103-14

Win 103-13

Win 102-13

Win 101-13

Win 100-13

Win 99-13

Win 98-13

Win 97–13

Loss 96–13

Win 96–12

Win 95–12

Win 94–12

Win 93–12

Win 92–12

Win 91–12

Win 90–12

Win 89–12

Win 88–12

Win 87–12

Tokyo, Japan Win 86–12

Win 85–12

Win 84–12

Win 83–12

Sassari, Italy Win 82–12

Win 81–12

Win 80–12

Ulan-Ude, Russia Win 79–12

Win 78–12

Win 77–12

Win 76–12

Win 75–12

Win 74–12

Loss 73–12

Win 73–11

Win 72–11

Win 71–11

Win 70–11

Win 69–11

Win 68–11

Sochi, Russia

Win 67–11

Win 66–11

Win 65–11

Win 64–11

Win 63–11

Win 62–11

Win 61–11

Win 60–11

Win 59–11

Win 58–11

Win 57–11

Win 56–11

Win 55–11

Win 54–11

Win 53–11

Win 52–11

Win 51–11

Win 50–11

Win 49–11

Win 48–11

Win 47–11

Win 46–11

Win 45–11

Win 44–11

Loss 43–11

Win 43–10

Win 42–10

Loss 41–10

Win 41–9

Win 40–9

Win 39–9

Win 38–9

Win 37–9

Win 36–9

Loss 35–9

Win 35–8

Win 34–8

Win 33–8

Win 32–8

Win 31–8

Win 30–8

Loss 29–8

Win 29–7

Win 28–7

Win 27–7

Loss 26–7

Win 26–6

Win 25–6

Win 24–6

Win 23–6

Win 22–6

Win 21–6

Win 20–6

Win 19–6

Loss 18–6

Win 18–5

Win 17–5

Loss 16–5

Win 16–4

Win 15–4

Win 14–4

Win 13–4

Win 12–4

Win 11–4

Win 10–4

Win 9–4

Win 8–4

Loss 7–4

Loss 7–3

Loss 7–2

Win 7–1

Win 6–1

Loss 5–1

Win 5–0

Win 4–0

Win 3–0

Win 2–0

Win 1–0