Rustam Aghayev (Azerbaijani: Rüstəm Ağayev; born 1 May 1982 in Moscow, Russian SFSR) is a retired amateur Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's heavyweight category.[1] He won a bronze medal in the 96-kg division at the 2004 European Wrestling Championships in Ankara, Turkey, and then represented his nation Azerbaijan at the Summer Olympics a few months later. Throughout his sporting career, Aghayev trained for Neftçi Sports Club in Baku, under his personal coach and mentor Dyevanshir Kurbanov.

Rustam Aghayev
Personal information
Full nameRustam Aghayev
Nationality Azerbaijan
Born (1982-05-01) 1 May 1982 (age 42)
Moscow, Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight96 kg (212 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubNeftçi Baku (AZE)
CoachDyevanshir Kurbanov
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Azerbaijan
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2004 Ankara 96 kg

Aghayev qualified for his adopted Azerbaijan squad in the men's heavyweight class (96 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by placing third and receiving a berth from the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Bratislava, Slovakia.[2][3] In the prelim pool, Aghayev eclipsed Kazakhstan's Islam Bairamukov with a 7–2 division on his opening bout, and grappled Namibia's Nico Jacobs into the ring at the peak of the first minute by an eleven-point advantage, earning him a spot for the quarterfinals. Followed by the next day's session, Aghayev could not push Iranian wrestler Alireza Heidari off the mat with a 5–0 defeat in the quarterfinal match, but offered a chance to redeem himself as he pinned China's Wang Yuanyuan in nearly a full minute for a fifth-place finish.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rustam Aghayev". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. ^ Abbott, Gary (18 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Two Americans gain Olympic wrestling berth". Sioux City Journal. 1 February 2004. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 96kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
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