Freestyle wrestling
Style of amateur wrestling
自由式摔跤 · フリースタイルレスリング · 프리스타일 레슬링
- Founder
- British Empire
- Type
- amateur wrestling, wrestling style
- Sport
- wrestling, combat sport
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman. High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the United States are conducted under different rules and termed scholastic and collegiate wrestling. U.S. collegiate women's wrestling is conducted under freestyle rules.
Freestyle wrestling, like collegiate wrestling, has its origins in catch-as-catch-can wrestling. In both styles, the ultimate goal is to throw and pin the opponent to the mat, which results in an immediate win. Unlike Greco-Roman, freestyle and collegiate wrestling allow the use of the wrestler's or the opponent's legs in offense and defense.
According to wrestling's world governing body, the United World Wrestling (UWW), freestyle wrestling is one of the six main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practiced around the globe today. The other five forms are as follows:
Notable Freestyle wrestling athletes and practitioners
- Buvaisar Saitiev Soviet Union
- Sakshi Malik India
- Sushil Kumar India
- Abdulrashid Sadulaev Russia
- Taha Akgül Turkey
- Vinesh Phogat India
- Hassan Yazdani Iran
- Kaori Icho Japan
- Bajrang Punia India
- Ravi Kumar Dahiya India
- Geeta Phogat India
- Saori Yoshida Japan
- Khetag Gazyumov Azerbaijan
- Blessing Oborududu Nigeria
- Kyle Snyder United States
- Navid Afkari Iran
- Zaurbek Sidakov Russia
- Guzel Manyurova Kazakhstan
- Aisuluu Tynybekova Kyrgyzstan
- Emam-Ali Habibi Pahlavi Iran
- Yogeshwar Dutt India
- Myles Amine United States
- Gadzhimurad Rashidov Russia
- Rei Higuchi Japan
- Zaur Uguyev Russia
- Natalia Vorobieva Russia
- Kyle Dake United States
- Amir Hossein Zare Iran
- Mogamed Ibragimov North Macedonia
- Grace Bullen Norway
- Iryna Kurachkina Belarus
- Maider Unda Spain
- Babita Kumari India
- Meerim Zhumanazarova Kyrgyzstan
- Artur Naifonov Russia
- Frank Chamizo Cuba
562 people in this reference practise Freestyle wrestling.
Freestyle wrestling competitions
- RAF 11
- RAF 06
- RAF 08
- RAF 12
- RAF Moscow
- RAF 05
- RAF 09
- RAF Georgia
- RAF 13
- RAF 10
- RAF 07
- RAF 01
- RAF 03
- RAF 04
- RAF 02
- 2021 World Wrestling Championships – Men's freestyle 65 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – men's freestyle 74 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's freestyle 75 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's freestyle 48 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – men's freestyle 97 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's freestyle 69 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's freestyle 53 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – women's freestyle 63 kg
- wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – men's freestyle 86 kg
46 competitions in total.
Rules, ranks and training
- Weight classes: Olympic freestyle wrestling (men), 2016–2028
- Weight classes: Olympic freestyle wrestling (women), 2020–2028
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q327223 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.