Artur Naifonov

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Edikovich and the family name is Naifonov.

Artur Naifonov
Артур Найфонов

2021 World Wrestling Championships
Personal information
Native name	Артур Эдикович Найфонов
Full name	Artur Edikovich Naifonov
Nationality	Russia
Born	10 May 1997 (1997-05-10) (age 26) Nizhnevartovsk, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Sport
Country	Russia
Sport	Wrestling
Weight class	86 kg
Rank	International Master of Sport in Freestyle wrestling
Event	Freestyle
Club	Wrestling Academy of Aslan Khadarstev
Coached by	Totraz Archegov, Viktor Rozhkov, Elbrus Dudaev
Medal record Men's Freestyle Wrestling Representing ROC Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo 86 kg Representing Russian Wrestling Federation World Championships 2021 Oslo 86 kg Representing Russia World Championships 2019 Nur-Sultan 86 kg European Championships 2021 Warsaw 86 kg 2020 Rome 86 kg 2018 Kaspiysk 86 kg Russian Championships 2022 Kyzyl 86 kg 2021 Ulan-Ude 86 kg 2019 Sochi 86 kg 2020 Naro-Fominsk 86 kg 2018 Odintsovo 86 kg Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2020 Krasnoyarsk 86 kg 2018 Krasnoyarsk 86 kg Military World Games 2019 Wuhan 86 kg World U23 Championships 2018 Bucharest 86 kg Junior World Championships 2017 Tampere 86 kg

Artur Edikovich Naifonov (Russian: Артур Эдикович Найфонов, IPA: [ɐrˈtur nɐɪ̯ˈfonəf], Ossetian: Найфонты Эдичы фырт Артур; born 10 May 1997) is a Russian freestyle wrestler, who competes at 86 kilograms. Naifonov is an Olympic Games medalist, World Championship medalist, three-time European Continental champion and a three-time Russian National champion (four-time finalist).

Naifonov is a survivor of the 2004 Beslan school siege along with his sister, both receiving shrapnel wounds. His mother was killed in crossfire.

Road to Olympic Games

After coming up short and taking second place at the 2020 Russian National Championships, Naifonov wasn't able to compete at the Individual World Cup and did not wrestle again until March of 2021.

In order to achieve a place on the Olympic Team, Naifonov would have to take first place at the 2021 Russian National Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Ulan-Ude. Winning all of his matches, including against 2020 European Silver Medallist, Magomed Ramazanov whom Naifonov defeated in the semi-final. At one point, Ramazanov was winning with the score 8-1, before Naifonov made a comeback to win 10-8.

Naifonov would then meet his main rival in Russia, Dauren Kurugliev, representing Dagestan, in the final. Naifonov defeated Kurugliev with the score 2-1, which won Naifonov the first place on the podium, gold medal and be invited to compete for his country at the Olympic games in Tokyo.

2020 Olympic Games

Following his Russian National Championships win, Naifonov wrestled at the Olympic Games held in Tokyo. Naifonov made his Olympic debut with a win over Ossetian-Slovakian transfer, Boris Makojev and defeated him 6-0, followed by a 12-1, technical fall over Turkey's Osman Göçen, advancing Naifonov into the semi-final opposite Hassan Yazdani. Yazdani won the match 7-1; however as this match was the semi-final, Naifonov was automatically placed into a third place, bronze-medal match against Dagestan-Uzbekistan transfer, Javrail Shapiev. After controlling all six minutes in a low scoring match, Naifonov won the match 2-0, securing an Olympic Bronze Medal.

2021 World Championships

Following his Bronze medal Olympic debut, Naifonov wanted to finish the year wrestling at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships, held in Norway. Naifonov faced Japan's Hayato Ishiguro in the round of 16 and defeated the Japanese wrestler 11-0 with advancement to the quarter-final match against Spanish representative, Taiumuraz Friev, who Naifonov beat 5-2. In the semi-final, Naifonov would, again, Yazdani and lost again, by the score 8-2 and ruining his hopes for gold.

Naifonov faced Kazakh wrestler, Azamat Dauletbekov in the bronze medal match, beating the Kazakh by 3-0 and winning his second world Bronze medal.

2024 Olympic Games

He competed at the 2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan and he earned a quota place for the Individual Neutral Athletes for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

External links

• Artur Naifonov at United World Wrestling

• Artur Naifonov at the International Wrestling Database
• Artur Naifonov at Olympedia