The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from Kazakhstan

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This page contains a list of the greatest Kazakhstani Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 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 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.

Photo of Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov

1. Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov (1951 - 2020)

With an HPI of 47.32, Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov is the most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 21 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.

Photo of Charalambos Cholidis

2. Charalambos Cholidis (1956 - 2019)

With an HPI of 41.11, 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.

Photo of Shamil Serikov

3. Shamil Serikov (1956 - 1989)

With an HPI of 38.84, Shamil Serikov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 15 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.

Photo of Aidyn Smagulov

4. Aidyn Smagulov (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 31.92, Aidyn Smagulov is the 4th 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.

Photo of Yeldos Smetov

5. Yeldos Smetov (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 30.83, Yeldos Smetov is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 27 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 and the 2015 World Judo 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, Yeldos Smetov defeated Luka Mkheidze in the final and won the gold medal, becoming the first ever judoka from Kazakhstan to win a gold medal. Smetov also secured a gold and a bronze medal at the World Cup among youth in 2010 and 2011, respectively. He joined the adult national team in 2012 and won a bronze at the 2013 Asian Judo Championships in Bangkok, a silver at a Grand Prix stage in Samsun - a stage of the European Cup in Tbilisi, and gold at an open European Cup in Warsaw. His first coach was Akhmet Zhumagulov.

Photo of Askhat Zhitkeyev

6. Askhat Zhitkeyev (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 29.09, Askhat Zhitkeyev is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 21 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.

Photo of Azamat Dauletbekov

7. Azamat Dauletbekov (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 0.00, Azamat Dauletbekov is the 7th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into different languages.

Azamat Dauletbekov is a Kazakh freestyle wrestler. He is a two-time bronze medalist in the men's 86 kg event at the World Wrestling Championships (2022 and 2023). He is also a five-time medalist, including three gold medals, at the Asian Wrestling Championships. He represented Kazakhstan at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Photo of Lkhagvasürengiin Sosorbaram

8. Lkhagvasürengiin Sosorbaram (b. 2001)

With an HPI of 0.00, Lkhagvasürengiin Sosorbaram is the 8th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Lkhagvasürengiin Sosorbaram (Mongolian: Лхагвасүрэнгийн Сосорбарам, born 22 March 2001) is a Mongolian judoka. She is the silver medallist of the 2019 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf in the ‍–‍52 kg category.

Photo of Meirzhan Shermakhanbet

9. Meirzhan Shermakhanbet (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 0.00, Meirzhan Shermakhanbet is the 9th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into different languages.

Meirzhan Shermakhanbet is a Kazakhstani Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a bronze medalist at the World Wrestling Championships and a two-time medalist, including gold, at the Asian Wrestling Championships.

Photo of Daniyar Kaisanov

10. Daniyar Kaisanov (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 0.00, Daniyar Kaisanov is the 10th most famous Kazakhstani Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into different languages.

Daniyar Kaisanov (born 18 July 1993) is a Kazakhstani freestyle wrestler. He is a two-time gold medalist at the Asian Wrestling Championships, a silver medalist at the Asian Games and a bronze medalist at the World Wrestling Championships. He also represented Kazakhstan at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.

People

Pantheon has 11 people classified as Kazakhstani wrestlers born between 1951 and 2001. Of these 11, 8 (72.73%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Kazakhstani wrestlers include Aidyn Smagulov, Yeldos Smetov, and Askhat Zhitkeyev. 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 Azamat Dauletbekov, Lkhagvasürengiin Sosorbaram, and Meirzhan Shermakhanbet.

Living Kazakhstani Wrestlers

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Deceased Kazakhstani Wrestlers

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Newly Added Kazakhstani Wrestlers (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Wrestlers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Wrestlers since 1700.