The Cold War Wrestling Rivalry That s Heating Up the Tokyo Olympics: Captain America vs. The Russian Tank – WSJ

TOKYO One of the most hotly anticipated showdowns the Tokyo Olympics could have produced will become a reality here on Saturday night: Captain America versus The Russian Tank on the wrestling mat. 

The match pits American Kyle Snyder against Russian Olympic Committee s Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the final of the freestyle wrestling s 97 kilogram (215 pounds) category on Saturday. Both men are Olympic champions from Rio in 2016, where Sadulaev competed in a lower weight class.

For wrestling fans, it s the third installment of one of the sport s most popular hits. Born just six months apart, they have wrestled twice in the past four years, each winning once in dramatic bouts known as Snyderlaev I and Snyderlaev II. They are both Instagram wrestling royalty.

In Tokyo, Snyder and Sadulaev breezed through their three bouts in the eliminations, with the Russian not conceding a single point and Snyder only conceding two.

via www.wsj.com