The Most Famous
WRESTLERS from Kazakhstan
This page contains a list of the greatest Kazakhstani Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 700 Wrestlers, 6 of which were born in Kazakhstan. This makes Kazakhstan the birth place of the 29th most number of Wrestlers behind Romania and Mexico.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the 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.
1. Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov (1951 - 2020)
With an HPI of 46.27, Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov is the most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 19 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 38.56, 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 37.48, Shamil Serikov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Shamil Serikov (5 March 1956 in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR – 22 November 1989) was a Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow where he won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, the bantamweight class. Serikov committed suicide in 1989.
4. Yeldos Smetov (1992 - )
With an HPI of 28.90, Yeldos Smetov is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Yeldos Smetov (Kazakh: Елдос Бахтыбайұлы Сметов, Eldos Bahtybaiūly Smetov; born 9 September 1992) is a Kazakh judoka who competes in the under 60 kg weight division. He won gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 World Judo Championships, and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. He won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. Smetov won a gold and a bronze medal at the World Cup among youth, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Since 2012 he was part of the adult national team. He won a bronze in the 2013 Asian Judo Championships in Bangkok, a silver at a stage Gran Prix in Samsun, a stage of the European Cup to Tbilisi, and gold at an open European Cup in judo in Warsaw. Smetov's first coach was Akhmet Zhumagulov.
5. Aidyn Smagulov (1976 - )
With an HPI of 26.85, Aidyn Smagulov is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 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.
6. Askhat Zhitkeyev (1981 - )
With an HPI of 26.43, Askhat Zhitkeyev is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 20 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.
Pantheon has 6 people classified as wrestlers born between 1951 and 1992. Of these 6, 3 (50.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living wrestlers include Yeldos Smetov, Aidyn Smagulov, and Askhat Zhitkeyev. The most famous deceased wrestlers include Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Charalambos Cholidis, and Shamil Serikov. As of April 2022, 1 new wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Aidyn Smagulov.
Living Wrestlers
Go to all Rankings
Yeldos Smetov
1992 - Present
HPI: 28.90
Aidyn Smagulov
1976 - Present
HPI: 26.85
Askhat Zhitkeyev
1981 - Present
HPI: 26.43
Deceased Wrestlers
Go to all RankingsZhaksylyk Ushkempirov
1951 - 2020
HPI: 46.27
Charalambos Cholidis
1956 - 2019
HPI: 38.56
Shamil Serikov
1956 - 1989
HPI: 37.48
Newly Added Wrestlers (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Wrestlers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Wrestlers since 1700.
