Baku, April 17 (AZERTAC). The website of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has published an article headlined “FILA Champion, Sharif Sharifov: The Perfection of Simplicity”.

Written by Mike Riordan, the article reads: “Antoine de Saint-Exubery famously said, “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” The French poet and writer certainly did not know it, but he could not more perfectly describe the wrestling style of Sharif Sharifov.

Azerbaijan’s Sharifov understands freestyle wrestling at its most elegant. Where most see wrestling as a series of unrelated moves or maneuvers, Sharifov understands that at its essence wrestling consists of nothing more than a series of positions shared between his opponent and him. In each subsequent position, the wrestler who usually comes out ahead possesses the greater comfort, knowledge and experience in that situation.

When Sharifov wins a wrestling match, he wins by dominating one position at a time. Jake Herbert, the United States’ 84 kg entry in freestyle wrestling at the London Games, and Sharifov’s adversary in the 2012 Olympic quarterfinal, explains the Azerbaijani’s beautifully simplistic approach to wrestling.

“Some people look at wrestling as a series of moves,” said Herbert. “This is the incorrect way of looking at it. For example, a single leg isn’t really a move, it’s a position. Sharifov knows what to do in all the positions to put himself at an advantage so he can score points, and not his opponent”

Sharifov originally hails from the Russian republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus. This region spans from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, and produces most of the world’s elite wrestling talent. The wrestling success of the people from this corner of the world grows out of a commitment to simplicity. North Caucasus wrestlers comprehend the fundmental wrestling principles which remain constant through seemingly unrelated techniques.

Sharifov is no exception. When he takes the mat, he lacks the chiseled and imposing physique possessed by many of his competitors, and he doesn’t boast particularly quick feet or execute ornate maneuvers. Sharifov succeeds not through physical gifts, but by his incredible grasp of his sport’s unifying concepts. This conceptual understanding of wrestling led Sharifov to wrestle a style that limited his mistakes while capitalizing on the tiniest misstep of his opponent. During a magical run from 2009-2012, Sharifov employed a rudimentary and conservative style with no adornment or ostentation, using only the most basic, and effective of techniques. In the process, he ascended to the status as one of the greatest pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world.

In his first World Championships appearance in 2009, Sharifov lost only to America’s Herbert and defeated Russian Junior World Champion Abdusalam Gadisov for the Bronze medal. This first world medal proved to be only a stepping stone to even greater success. In the 2011 World Championships, Sharifov staked his claim as the best 84 kg wrestler on the globe, winning a World gold medal while beating a retinue of elite competitors. In the 2011 World semifinals, amongst some controversy, he downed Russian World bronze medalist Albert Sharifov, and in the finals he upended Uzbeki two-time World Champion Ibragim Aldatov. Sharifov’s most high-profile win may have come in the second round where he defeated 2004 Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson of the United States. Fellow Team USA wrestler Herbert found himself impressed by Sharifov’s win over the Olympic champ.

“I really did not see that coming” Herbert said. “I had beaten Sharifov twice, and Sanderson beat me, I figured (Sanderson) would have an easy time with him.”

Sharifov’s amazing performance in the 2011 World Championships may have come unexpectedly, but his momentous achievement in 2012 proved it was no fluke. The momentum from 2011 world gold stayed with Sharifov as he took the mat for the London Olympics. There, on wrestling’s greatest stage, Sharifov once again reigned supreme. In the second round of the tournament, in a wild match, he avenged multiple losses to World silver medalist Jake Herbert of the USA. Herbert remembers the experience of wrestling Sharifov.

“He’s just a solid wrestler,” Herbert recalls. “He’s not too fast, he’s not strong. He just knows the sport real well from wrestling and training so long, he knows the sport and knows the positions.

In the Olympic semifinals, after the defeat of Herbert, Sharifov bested multiple time world medalist Ehsan Lashgari of Iran. Finally, Sharifov won his Olympic gold medal with a dominant performance against over Jaime Espinal. The young Puerto Rican simply had no answer for the Azerbaijani’s superior fundamentals. Sharifov won the biggest match of his career the way he won every other: taking the bout one position at a time, and winning in each one.

Sharifov now continues his wrestling career in search of a second Olympic berth. Whether or not he medal or even competes in the Rio de Janeiro games, he remains a living testament to the most beautiful part of the sport of wrestling. Wrestling gives hope to aspiring champion athletes who may not run so fast or jump so high, stand so tall or move so gracefully. Sharif Sharifov shows that anyone who strives to understand the sport’s most basic elements can triumph, for in wrestling, the greater the simplicity, the greater the success.”