Biography

Naifonov did not win the gold medal at the World Championships in 2019 but he qualified with a bronze at 86kg in Nursultan. He lost to eventual world champion Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) of Iran. Naifonov still had to win the Russian Championships to earn his spot on the team and he did that after beating Dauren KURUGLIEV (RUS) 2-1 in the final. The OssetiaN-born wrestler will be seeded fourth at the Games behind Yazdani, Deepak PUNIA (IND) and Myles AMINE (SMR) who take the first, second and third spot respectively. Naifonov was born in Nizhnevartovsk, Russia and has proved his potential in the age-group level as well winning the junior world championships and even the continental titles in Europe.