Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, classic wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1904. This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist, which is the main feature that differentiates it from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown.
Armen Nazaryan is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler who later represented Bulgaria. Nazaryan is a two-time Olympic Champion, a three-time World Champion, and a six-time European Champion. After Armenia regained independence in 1991, Nazaryan became the first Olympic gold medalist for the country. He was recognized by the FILA as the best wrestler of the year in 1998 and 2003. In 2007, Nazaryan was inducted as a member of the FILA Hall of Fame.
Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and an American Olympic women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun was the first female wrestler from Hawaii to win a medal at the Olympics. She was inducted into the 2018 Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and 2022 National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
Dorothy Yeats is a Canadian wrestler and Commonwealth Games champion. She won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She also wrestled at Vanier College in Montreal, where she is on the school's Wall of Fame. She once said about Vanier College, "I never even considered going anywhere else. I’m glad I came here. I don’t think I could have excelled at my sport anywhere else."
Marcie Van Dusen is an amateur female American freestyle wrestler, who competed for the women's 55-kg category at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is a two-time U.S national and world team trials champion, and a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is also a silver medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Olga Vladimirovna Smirnova is an amateur Russian-born Kazakhstani freestyle wrestler, who played for the women's lightweight category. She is a two-time Olympian, a three-time medalist at the European Senior Championships, and a gold medalist for the 50 kg class at the 1996 World Wrestling Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Smirnova also added a silver medal from the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and bronze from the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, representing her adopted nation Kazakhstan.
Kyle Frederick Snyder is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 97 kilograms. He holds the distinctions of being the youngest Olympic Gold medalist and the youngest World Champion in American wrestling history.
Frank Molinaro is an American wrestler and coach. He was the 2012 NCAA Champion with an undefeated season record of 33–0 at 149 lbs, helping him become a four-time NCAA Division I All-American at Penn State. In 2016, Molinaro won the US Olympic Team Trials, earning the ability to qualify and represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics at 65 kg. Molinaro would finish the Rio Olympics in 5th place, after losing to Italy's Frank Chamizo Marquez in the bronze medal match 5–3.
Aline Rotter-Focken is a German freestyle wrestler. She won the world title in the 69 kg division in 2014 and a bronze medal in the 67 kg category at the 2013 European Championships. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo she won the Gold.
David Morris Taylor III is an American freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes at 86 kilograms. In 2021, Taylor became the 2020 Olympic gold medalist after defeating reigning Olympic and World Champion Hassan Yazdani, a feat he repeated from the 2018 World Championship where he stormed his way to the title. He later became the 2021 World Championship runner-up, after being defeated by Yazdani. Then, at the 2022 World Championships, he avenged that loss by defeating Yazdani once again to reclaim his world title.
Epp Mäe is an Estonian freestyle wrestler. She won the silver medal in the women's 76 kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway. She won a bronze medal at the 2015, 2019 and 2022 World Wrestling Championships.
Yasemin Adar Yiğit is a Turkish freestyle wrestler competing in the 76 kg division. 2 times world and 7 times European champions. She also won one of the bronze medals in the women's 76 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Maryia Mamashuk is a Belarusian wrestler. Competing in the 63 kg division she won silver medals at the 2014 European Championships and 2016 Olympics. In 2016 she also won the European title in the 69 kg category.
Zaur Rizvanovich Uguev is a Russian freestyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. He claimed the 2020 Summer Olympic Games gold medal after back-to-back World Championships in 2018 and 2019, as well as a 2020 Individual World Cup title. A four-time Russian national champion, Uguev is also a European Games and European Championship medalist.
Zaurbek Kazbekovich Sidakov is a Russian freestyle wrestler, who competes at 74 kilograms. Sidakov is reigning Olympic champion in the 74 kg and a three-time World Champion, claiming his titles in 2018 and 2019 and 2023.
Terry Steiner is an American wrestler and wrestling coach, who was an NCAA champion and three-time All-American. He is the women's U.S. National Coach for USA Wrestling. He led the U.S. women’s wrestling to a record four medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: a Gold medal, a Silver medal and two Bronze medals.
Tamyra Mariama Mensah-Stock is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. She had previously been an amateur wrestler, competing in women's freestyle wrestling, winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on August 3, 2021, and became the first black woman to win gold in women's freestyle wrestling.
Iryna Volodymyrivna Koliadenko is a Ukrainian freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's freestyle 62 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Sarah Ann Hildebrandt is an American freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 50 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She is a four-time medalist at the World Wrestling Championships and a gold medalist at the Pan American Games. She is also a seven-time gold medalist at the Pan American Wrestling Championships.
Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler and folkstyle wrestler who is currently signed to the WWE.
