Biography

A veteran of the sport, Aleksandr CHEKHIRKIN had to take a long path to win his spot on the Russian Greco-Roman team for the Olympics. Born in Rostov-on-Don, USSR, Soviet Union, the 35-year-old was competing in the 77kg weight category with two-time Olympic champion Roman VLASOV, who suffered a shock defeat in the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan. Chekhirin qualified the spot for Russia at the European Qualifiers in Budapest after beating Aik MNATSAKANIAN (BUL) in the semifinal. But a three-way battle in Russia which included Abuiazid MANTSIGOV ensued after he won the Russian Championships. But with Vlasov losing at the Poland Open and Mantsigov winning the gold, the latter lost his right to compete for the spot on the team. A special wrestle-off between Chekhirin and Mantsigov was held in which the veteran prevailed 4-1. A world champion in 2018, Chekhirkin will make his debut at the Games, making him one of the oldest debutants at the age of 35 years.