Russia In The Midst Of An Unprecedented Gold Medal Drought
Russia In The Midst Of An Unprecedented Gold Medal Drought
Russia failed to win a gold medal in any wrestling style at the world championships or Olympics for the first time in program history, including the old Soviet Union teams. We analyze their current historic drought.
Russia has not won a gold medal at a senior-level world championship tournament in 265 days, and it won't have an opportunity to win its next gold medal for another 417 days.
That nearly two-year stretch is the longest gold medal drought in the Russian Wrestling Federation's long and storied history. Indeed, when the Soviet Union is included, Russia has never failed to medal in a world championship its entered, going all the way back to 1952.
Just considering men's freestyle, Russia or the Soviet Union failed to earn a gold medal only one other time, in 1960. The Soviets' Greco team, however, won three gold medals in 1960. This year in Paris not a single competitor from the Russian Federation won a gold meal, in either men's freestyle, women's freestyle, or Greco-Roman. Even more astonishingly, no former Russian citizens who transferred to other countries won gold medals. Truly, we are witnessing the gold medal nadir of Russian wrestling. Or, if you will, the Golden Age of No Golds for Russia.
This is not to say that Russia necessarily had a bad or even unimpressive World Championship performance. In fact, the Russians won the Greco-Roman tournament team title, despite not having a champion, and were runners-up in the men's freestyle tournament by a solitary point. However, their lack of gold medals is nonetheless shocking and unprecedented.
To put Russia's medal count in perspective, we can go back to 1994, the first year for which we have painstakingly compiled the country's total medals. The table below shows the number of men's freestyle medals Russia has won each year.
It would be foolish, however, for any American fans to count Russia out or to gloat over its paucity of recent golds. As mentioned earlier, Russia had an extremely competitive tournament. Their men's freestyle team scored enough team points to win any other year in recent memory.
For the sake of comparison, below is the medal table for the United States' men's freestyle team since 1994. Also please note that for both tables, 2016's non-Olympic weights are included. Additionally, Team USA did not compete in the 2002 Men's Freestyle World Championship, held in Tehran, Iran, dude to security concerns.
From 1994 to 2016, the USA won 24 golds and 64 total medals. In that same time period, Russia won 65 golds and 118 total medals.
Additionally, the Russian program still has incredible depth, especially in the middle weights. Moreover, when Gadzimurad Rashidov, Khetik Tsabolov, and Abdulrashid Sadulaev all make the finals, the smart money is on at least one of them walking away with a gold medal.
Finally, the American teams have not been without their droughts. The men's freestyle team failed to win a gold medal as recently as 2014 at the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Team USA was shut out of gold medals across all styles as recently as 2010.
The United States' wrestling program bounced back from 2010, however, just like you can bet the Russians are reloading for the years to come.
That nearly two-year stretch is the longest gold medal drought in the Russian Wrestling Federation's long and storied history. Indeed, when the Soviet Union is included, Russia has never failed to medal in a world championship its entered, going all the way back to 1952.
Just considering men's freestyle, Russia or the Soviet Union failed to earn a gold medal only one other time, in 1960. The Soviets' Greco team, however, won three gold medals in 1960. This year in Paris not a single competitor from the Russian Federation won a gold meal, in either men's freestyle, women's freestyle, or Greco-Roman. Even more astonishingly, no former Russian citizens who transferred to other countries won gold medals. Truly, we are witnessing the gold medal nadir of Russian wrestling. Or, if you will, the Golden Age of No Golds for Russia.
This is not to say that Russia necessarily had a bad or even unimpressive World Championship performance. In fact, the Russians won the Greco-Roman tournament team title, despite not having a champion, and were runners-up in the men's freestyle tournament by a solitary point. However, their lack of gold medals is nonetheless shocking and unprecedented.
To put Russia's medal count in perspective, we can go back to 1994, the first year for which we have painstakingly compiled the country's total medals. The table below shows the number of men's freestyle medals Russia has won each year.
| GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 2014 | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2011 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2010 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 2008 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2007 | 6 | 1 | 7 | |
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2005 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2004 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2002 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| 1999 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1998 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1997 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 1996 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
It would be foolish, however, for any American fans to count Russia out or to gloat over its paucity of recent golds. As mentioned earlier, Russia had an extremely competitive tournament. Their men's freestyle team scored enough team points to win any other year in recent memory.
For the sake of comparison, below is the medal table for the United States' men's freestyle team since 1994. Also please note that for both tables, 2016's non-Olympic weights are included. Additionally, Team USA did not compete in the 2002 Men's Freestyle World Championship, held in Tehran, Iran, dude to security concerns.
| GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 0 | |||
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2004 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2002 | 0 | |||
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1997 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 1995 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
From 1994 to 2016, the USA won 24 golds and 64 total medals. In that same time period, Russia won 65 golds and 118 total medals.
Additionally, the Russian program still has incredible depth, especially in the middle weights. Moreover, when Gadzimurad Rashidov, Khetik Tsabolov, and Abdulrashid Sadulaev all make the finals, the smart money is on at least one of them walking away with a gold medal.
Finally, the American teams have not been without their droughts. The men's freestyle team failed to win a gold medal as recently as 2014 at the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Team USA was shut out of gold medals across all styles as recently as 2010.
The United States' wrestling program bounced back from 2010, however, just like you can bet the Russians are reloading for the years to come.