The 2016 Olympic wrestling champion Kyle Snyder secured his third consecutive Pan American gold medal in November 2023 and wrapped the 2023 Pan Am Games on a great note. However, losing to #1 ranked Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain at the World Championships tainted his year-end celebrations. And now, the United World Wrestling has revealed its freestyle rankings and it looks like Snyder has a long way to the top.

In a post on social media, the global wrestling authorities have unveiled the standings of wrestlers based on their points accumulated over the year. While many names on the list look at home in the top spot, Snyder once again has been bested by his old foe.

Kyle Snyder suffers another loss to a familiar opponent

In the Instagram post shared by the official UWW account, it looks like Akhmed Tazhudinov once again beat Kyle Snyder for the top spot in the 97kg category. Tazhudinov’s World Championship win has throttled him to the highest position with 87,520 points, while Snyder came in second with 78,000 points. Along with winning the World Championship this year, Tazhudinov has also won the Asian Championships and the World Ranking Series.

While many fans don’t align their own views with the recently published standings, Tazhudinov’s accomplishments are beyond a shred of doubt. Snyder is among the most decorated and coveted names in the American wrestling circuit, but his loss in Belgrade landed him a heavy career blow.

Magomedkhan Magomedov of Azerbaijan is the third name on the 97kg category list, with 67,600 accumulated points in 2023. With the Olympic team trails approaching fast, Snyder might have to put in double work if he looks to reclaim his top spot from Tazhudinov once again. Snyder etched his name in Olympic history by winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and he will surely bring out his A-game once again on the grandest stage at the European capital next year.

USA wrestlers make their presence felt

While Snyder isn’t ending 2023 on a high note, other names on UWW’s list can ease the heartache for the wrestling connoisseurs of the country. Member of the legendary Nittany Lions Wrestling Club, Zain Retherford tops the 70kg category, and All-American honoree and the 2023 World Championships gold medalist Vito Arujau leads the pack in the 61kg division.

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As many fans clamor about the absence of David Taylor from the list, Kyle Dake comes as a bearer of good news by topping the 74kg category in UWW’s 2023 list of freestyle wrestlers.

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