In 2023, the world wrestling champion revealed his American opponent’s shocking and disrespectful behavior after giving him the silver medal.

Athletes are often highly energetic during their time on the field. While this can sometimes lead to rough behavior, there are occasions when they intentionally act in a disrespectful or aggressive manner. This was the case for the 2023 World Wrestling Champion in the 74kg category, who spoke about a similar incident after winning the gold medal against the defending champion from America.

The recently crowned 74kg world wrestling champion stated that his American opponent had shown disrespect by refusing to shake his hand. A post on social media features a video in which the Russian wrestler addresses the incident. It seems that his victory over the American, breaking their four-time winning streak, may have caused the disrespectful behavior. Interestingly, this is the second time the Russian has prevented the American from winning gold, following their encounter at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kyle Dake’s sore act after losing World Wrestling Championship

In 2023, Zaurbek Sidakov, a well-known wrestler from Russia, competed in the World Wrestling Championship in Belgrade as a neutral participant. This was his first time participating in the championship since winning a gold medal in 2019. Interestingly, the previous year, US wrestler Kyle Dake had moved from the 79kg weight class to the 74kg category. However, despite taking Sidakov’s place, Dake was unable to establish himself as the top wrestler and was eventually defeated by Sidakov. This marked the end of Dake’s four-year reign as the dominant wrestler in this weight class.

Zaurbek Sidakov perceived a lack of respect from Kyle Dake when he failed to properly shake his hand. pic.twitter.com/sZPaoVApne

— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) September 26, 2023

Unfortunately, this did not go over well with the American wrestler. It is reported that he behaved disrespectfully towards Sidakov after the match was over. In a tweet posted by FloWrestling on X, there was a video clip of an interviewer asking Sidakov about Dake’s actions.

The interviewer asked,

“What were your thoughts at the end of the match when he was forcefully trying to push you off the mat?” The Russian wrestler replied, 

“This is a common occurrence on the mat. It’s just small things, like not shaking my hand properly and giving it a hard slap. But it’s no big deal.”

However, Sidakov displayed humility and stated that he holds respect for all of his opponents, regardless of their actions.

Zaurbek Sidakov spoke like a true champion.

Speaking about his mentality and conduct towards his opponents, Sidakov said, 

“I believe in showing equal respect to all my opponents, regardless of any disrespectful behavior towards myself. On and off the mat, I always strive to demonstrate respect in life. With that said, I also believe that God was on my side today, helping me achieve this victory.”

After preventing Kyle Dake from winning the gold medal for the second time, the Russian champion made this statement.

Furthermore, the 2023 World Wrestling Champion of the United States performed a kind and touching gesture and dedicated their third World Championship to a competitor.

Zaurbek Sidakov and Kyle Dake met during the Tokyo Olympics. Dake won a bronze medal while Sidakov earned the gold. Dake had to lose 5kgs to compete, and although he didn’t win the Olympics, he performed well at the world championships until Sidakov reappeared. Can Dake ever defeat his Russian rival?

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In a recent post, the 2023 World Wrestling Champion revealed the “disrespectful” actions of their American opponent after receiving the silver medal.