Kayaalp, 36, who has 5 world gold medals and 13 European championship titles to his name, is considered one of the prominent figures in recent years of Greco-Roman wrestling. Throughout his professional career, he has often triumphed over Iranian wrestlers, but in recent years, the situation has been different for this Turkish star. His defeat against Amin Mirzazadeh in the final of the 2023 World Championships and failure against Fardin Heydati in the Hungary tournament showed that Iran's heavyweights have become serious competitors for this experienced champion.
Return to the Summit
Kayaalp, who last competed in the 2023 World Championships and won a silver medal after losing to Mirzazadeh, is now looking to return to his peak days. In addition to striving for his sixth world gold, he has stated that his main goal is to make a strong presence at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; a competition whose gold medal still has a vacant spot in his list of honors.
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Challenges Along the Way
This Turkish wrestler, during his national team's training camp in Erzurum, emphasized the importance of the Olympics, stating that while world and European championships are also significant for him, winning an Olympic gold medal is his biggest motivation. Despite years of competing at the highest level of wrestling, Kayaalp has yet to win an Olympic gold and intends to achieve this title before the end of his professional career.
However, Kayaalp's return to the mat has not been without controversy. He was banned from competitions for a long time due to a doping case, but through numerous complaints and follow-ups, he was able to overturn his ban and, after proving his innocence in this case, returned to the world of wrestling. His comeback was very important for Turkish Greco-Roman wrestling, as Kayaalp is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the country and a record holder in European championships.
In response to his continued athletic activity at this age, Kayaalp emphasized that his motivation is not financial and that he continues to strive for medals and to set new records in the wrestling world. He believes that if his goal were merely to make money, he could have chosen a different path; however, he still sees a big goal ahead of him, which is to win Olympic gold.
On the other hand, Iran, with Fardin Heydati, is looking to win the heavyweight gold medal in the world. Heydati, who has shown the ability to defeat Mirzazadeh, is considered one of Iran's main hopes for achieving championship. The clash between the new generation of Iran's heavyweights and an experienced figure like Kayaalp could be one of the intriguing subjects of the upcoming competitions.
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