JUDO - Mikhail Igolnikov

JUDO - Mikhail Igolnikov - The Prodigy

Рет қаралды 8,219

4 жыл бұрын

Igolnikov last competed at the Oceania Open in Perth, Australia. His journey halfway around the world to albeit a lesser event, was well rewarded as he came away with 500 points, elevating him to 11th in the World Rankings at -90kg, sitting comfortably in pole position for Russia in the Olympic qualifying zone.
Whilst having a quiet year on the IJF circuit in 2019, Mikhail Igolnikov has only lost once this year, in the Dusseldorf Grand Slam, where the Russian went on to take the Bronze medal in that event. His other outing being at the teams event at the World Championships, where he won his two matches helping Russia take the Bronze medal.
Aside from these IJF events, Mikhail who is according to sources, a Lieutenant in the Russian Special Forces, won the Military World Championships and led his team to the Gold medal.
As he sets his sights towards Tokyo and the 2020 Olympics, hoping to emulate fellow Circassians Vladimir Nevzorov, and Beslan Mudranov who took Gold at half middleweight in the 1976 Games in Montreal, and Gold in Rio 2016 at -60kg respectively, he looks a shoo-in for selection and not many who have followed his progression since Cadet level, would bet against him.
Mikhail Igolnikov was born on October 15, 1996 in the city of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region of Russia, though If you ask him, he proudly identifies himself as Adyghean, a Circassian enclave in the North Caucasus, the land of his forebears. A pupil of the Tuapse School of Judo, he trained under the guidance of Dzhanbolet Naguchev.
He first came to prominence internationally in 2011 when aged just 14, , he won the Cadet European Championships at his first attempt. He followed that up the same year winning the Cadet World Championships, beating Japan quickly in the final, an astounding feat at such a young age in this age banded category, fighting boys two or so years his senior. Mikhail went on to win the following Cadet European Championships in 2012 and 2013, never losing at this event in three years. In those early years he won eight Gold medals in European Cup events from 2011-2014, signalling a precocious talent, one which would continue to grow in the years to come.
In 2014 he entered the Youth Olympics in Nanging China, where he was flag bearer for the Russian team, having won the lesser European Youth Olympic Festival in Holland the year before. At these games Igolnikov continued his dominance, winning all of his eight matches without incident, seven of these by Ippon, as well as his victory in the individual event, he also led a mixed international team to the team title, a unique double for any judo player at the time.
Progressing from Cadet to Junior, he continued to cut a swathe through the opposition in the European Cup events, he won the Junior European title in 2016 in Malaga, adding the -23 Championship the following year in Podgorica Montenegro.
His transition to senior was as expected, for anyone who had followed his illustrious youth career. In 2018 he won the Senior European Championships in Tel Aviv, beating then current Senior World Champion, Nemanja Majdov in the Final, he added the Dusselldorf Grand Slam title, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and helped his team to third place in the World Team Championships in Baku.
His judo style is sublime, like the finest watchmakers creation, timing, precision and balance personified. He has uncanny anticipation and great counter attacks.
In some memorable contests against the best of his peers, he has usually come out on top. Against Gviniashvili, he is currently 3:1. Where Beka’s style is a sledgehammer through a jewellers shop window, Mikhail brings the finesse of a safecracker, his probing left sided Uchi mater, reminiscent of Vitaly Makarov in his pomp, a skeleton key which opens any lock. Everyone knows it’s coming but few seem able to avoid it.
He is 3:0 against 2017 World Champion and 2019 World Bronze medalist Nemanja Majdov. He has faced current World No. 1, Spaniard of Georgian descent Nikoloz Sherazadishvili six times leading in those matches 4:2.
He’s had some losses along the way but they are few and far between. His only loss this year was to Japan’s Sanshiro Murao in February at the Düsseldorf Grand Slam where the Russian went on to win Bronze.
In what is for me, the most stacked division on the current roster, wins are never assured and in a sport as capricious as judo, there are no dead certs. Even Ono loses once in a blue moon..........
Follow his journey towards Tokyo 2020.
#Judo