“Zelim” is one of the great hopes of freestyle wrestling in France. At 21, he has already won five French championship titles (2 cadet, 3 junior, 1 senior) and two European bronze medals.
He also won the junior world champion title in 2014, the first in the history of French wrestling. Zelimkhan Khadjiev (-74 kilos) will compete for France in his first Olympic Games in Rio, a qualification earned following his previous victory in the repechage at the last World Championships in Las Vegas (USA).
Born in Chechnya, Zelimkhan Khadjiev started wrestling very early. It was inevitable, as wrestling is the national sport in this war-torn country. Indeed, faced with the advance of Russian troops, the Khadjiev family left the region.
Upon arriving in France, specifically in Nice, Zelimkhan and his family had to integrate into society without official documents and with limited means. Wrestling facilitated the integration of the Khadjiev family in France. His brother found a club, and Zelim followed him there. From his first performances on the mat, everyone at the club recognized his talent.
Directly invited to the first tournaments, Zelim, with the help of the club, obtained French nationality to become one of the wrestlers of the Nice club. He went through all his development stages in Nice before joining INSEP, where he continues to develop today.
Zelimkhan has not forgotten everything the club has done for him and his family and proudly represents the colors of France and Nice on wrestling mats around the world.
