Ilyas Bekbulatov


Ilyas Idrisovich Bekbulatov is a Russian-Uzbekistani freestyle wrestler of Kumyk ethnicity, who won the gold medal at the 2017 European Wrestling Championships. He also won bronze at the first 2015 European Games. Bekbulatov is a four-times Ivan Yarygin Grand-Prix winner. He was the first who beat American undefeated wrestler Brent Metcalf. He is International Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling. Asian champion 2020.
He is nicknamed "Erkek" and "Kumyk Nightmare".

Biography and career

Bekbulatov was born in 1990 in the village of Kayakent, Dagestan, Soviet Union. He belongs to the Kumyk ethnic group. Bekbulatov won the Junior Russian Freestyle Wrestling Championships in 2007 and became silver medalist in the next year. He then became Russian National Student Wrestling Champion in 2011. On 8 May 2015, Bekbulatov became Russian freestyle wrestling national champion in the category 65 kg, defeating World Champion Soslan Ramonov in the final match. At the 2015 European Games, Bekbulatov faced Olympic champion Toghrul Asgarov and lost via decision, but went on win a bronze medal against Belarusian Azamat Nurykau.
At the 2017 European Wrestling Championships, he won all matches by technical superiority.

Championships and achievements