Kyle Snyder has never competed in an official match against Hassan Yazdani, as both athletes have built their individual legends in different weight classes. However, the paths of these two, who are multiple world champions and participants in the 2016 Olympics, may cross at the upcoming tournament in Astana, which the entire global wrestling community undoubtedly wishes for.
During a press conference the day before this year's World Championships, Snyder stated that he discussed the possibility of a contest with Yazdani about a month ago. He noted that it would be great to fight each other at this tournament. At these competitions, he will be trying to defend his freestyle title in the 97 kg weight class and win a fifth overall gold medal.
For Snyder, the ninth World Championship of his career promises to be both very difficult and exciting. The athlete emphasized that, in his opinion, this is the heaviest weight class he has ever competed in, noting the large number of strong opponents, which makes the competition interesting.
For the 30-year-old two-time Olympic medalist, it is clear that the upcoming tournament excites him. One factor is known one week before the start of the competition in the 97 kg category: as a favorite, Snyder might face long-time rival Abdulrashid Sadulayev in the quarterfinals, who aims to win his seventh world gold.
It is unknown whom Snyder must defeat to reach the quarterfinals. As he mentioned at the press conference in the Barys arena, any unseeded wrestler is capable of defeating the reigning champion in the first round. Among such potential opponents is Yazdani.
After winning the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 86 kg weight class, Yazdani made a significant step up this year by moving to the 97 kg category. He demonstrated the ability to handle the weight increase by defeating the world silver medalist and Paris bronze medalist Amirali Azarpiru in a two-match playoff to qualify for the world team.
Snyder expressed admiration for Yazdani and noted that, in his opinion, he did not have difficulty transitioning to the new weight. 'When I watched him wrestle Azarpiru, I saw no difference between them. They both looked similar in strength, and I think Azarpiru is one of the strongest guys in this weight class,' said Snyder.
Snyder got a small idea of what to expect if he has to meet Yazdani in Astana. 'I trained with Yazdani once, for about 20 minutes,' he reported. 'That was many years ago, so we haven't wrestled in a long time.' Nevertheless, he understands that Yazdani could not have achieved his success without what Snyder called 'champion's will.'
'He is so determined, he is so resilient. I think about everything he has gone through and experienced in his career. There are few wrestlers who possess such a level of experience. And, of course, tactically everyone knows that he will use the low grip, he will compete at a very high pace immediately after the start of the match. He is a good scrambler, he has good leg attacks. So you need to be prepared for all of this. I think he is a very worthy competitor,' added Snyder.
Regarding Sadulayev, when asked about him, Snyder highlighted him as his toughest opponent. They have had epic matches in the past, dubbed 'Snydulaev'. 'I haven't wrestled Yazdani yet, so I don't know what this match will be like,' said Snyder. 'But based on my past, Abdulrashid Sadulayev is the toughest competitor.'
Nevertheless, experience does not allow Snyder to look too far ahead regarding a potential meeting. 'We will be in the same quarter, but both of us still need to win to fight each other,' he noted. 'I think the most sensible thing at such a tournament is to have matches one by one, because there are many unseeded guys whom I could potentially meet first, and they are very high-class champions in this sport.' He concluded that all the summer preparation was aimed at various scenarios, and that there are very talented athletes in his weight class, and many matches will be decided by one exchange, one point, or one second.