Best Greco-Roman wrestlers of all time

By: Alex Steen, Editor

As we here at The Open Mat continue our series on the greatest Olympic wrestlers in each style, we turn our attention to Greco-Roman.  As with the men’s freestyle list, performance at the Olympic Games was weighted above all else.  Other accolades were considered, but were largely used for tie-breaking purposes when wrestlers’ Olympic resumes were too close to separate. The Olympic games are fast approaching so stayed tuned for even more coverage and information about the oldest sport in the world.

#10 Imre Polyak – Hungary

After falling in three consecutive Olympic finals (1952, 1956, 1960), Imre Polyak must have felt that his three silver medals were just not enough when he returned to the Olympic Games in 1964.  He once again made his way to the final, the first man to make four in a row.  His opponent in the final was Roman Rurua (Soviet Union) who would finish his career as a five time world level champion, including the 1968 gold medal in Mexico City.  On this day, Polyak, finally, would not be denied.  Polyak defeated Rurua and claimed the gold at last!

#9 Aleksandr Kolchinsky – Soviet Union

Aleksandar Tomov of Bulgaria was a three-time silver medalist at the Olympic Games.  One of the biggest reasons he never claimed the gold medal was Kolchinsky who defeated Tomov in the finals at the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games.  Kolchinsky was an impressive super heavyweight who was set to go for Olympic gold number three in 1984 until the communist boycott ended his Olympic career.  Consistently beating a man with the remarkable resume of Tomov is plenty to earn a spot on this list.

#8 Hamza Yerlikaya – Turkey

He won his first world championship at 17 and was the Olympic gold medalist in Atlanta at age 20.  Yerlikaya looked to be on his way to becoming the most decorated Olympic Greco wrestler of all-time.  He added his second gold medal in 2000, when he was still only 24 years old, but failed to place in 2004.  In 2007, it was discovered he had been wrestling with neck fractures, some that could have been sustained as early as 2003, that had never been treated.  This forced Yerlikaya to retire from competition.

#7 Petar Kirov – Bulgaria

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Kirov defeated the defending world champion, Vladimir Bakulin (Soviet Union) to win the gold medal.  By 1972 in Munich, Kirov was an unstoppable force.  He ended four of his six matches early on his way to his second Olympic gold.  In an era where wrestlers could lose a match and still claim the gold medal, Kirov won every Olympic match he wrestled.

#6 Istvan Kozma – Hungary

After finishing just out of the medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Kozma started winning world championship medals.  He translated that success into Olympic gold in 1964 and 1968.  He was tragically killed in a car accident early in 1970.

#5 Vincenzo Maenza – Italy

After finishing seventh in his first Olympic appearance in 1980, few would have expected Maenza to be one of the best Greco Olympians of all-time.  The young man, who was affected by scoliosis and was tiny as a child, continued to hone his craft and won gold in 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics.  He defended that title in 1988 in Seoul.  He made the final in his fourth Olympics, in 1992, but lost his final match, taking silver.

#4 Valery Rezantsev – Soviet Union

There was a period of time where Rezantsev was unbeatable in Greco-Roman competition.  From 1970 through 1976, he won seven consecutive world titles, including gold medals at the Munich and Montreal Olympics.  Rezantsev was one of the first 10 inductees elected to the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

#3 Mijain Lopez – Cuba

Lopez will head to Rio this summer looking to join Aleksandr Karelin (Russia) and Carl Westergren (Sweden) with three Olympic Greco gold medals.  Mijain is two for two, winning in 2008 and 2012, so far.  Beyond the remarkable resume, he also has five world titles and three world silvers in addition to his Olympic golds, it is the dominance and style of Lopez that makes him third on the list.  If you get a chance, catch the show in Rio.  He is always worth the price of admission.

#2 Carl Westergren – Sweden

Few people know the name Carl Westergren, but in the early days of Greco he was the best of a large group of great wrestlers from Scandanavian countries.  After winning Olympic gold in 1920 and 1924, Westergren came to the 1928 Games a big favorite to win gold number three.  However, he lost by decision in his opening match against 1924 Olympic bronze medalist Onni Pellinen (Finland) and was so irate that he withdrew from the event entirely.  He returned to win another Olympic gold in 1932 to finish his career with three gold medals.

#1 Aleksandr Karelin – Russia

Quite possibly the greatest wrestler of all-time in any style, Karelin just missed winning a fourth Olympic gold medal in Sydney.  U.S. fans remember Rulon Gardner defeating him, but wrestling fans should note that was only the second loss of Karelin’s entire career!  His gold medals in 1988, 1992 and 1996, added to the silver in 2000, along with his sheer dominance put him on top of this list as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler in Olympic history.

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