Features of sports careers of women’s Olympic wrestling champions

Purpose: to identify the features of the sports career of Olympic champions in women's wrestling. Material and Methods. The main materials for the study were personal indicators of the sports career of 18 Olympic champions in wrestling (data were taken from the official website of UWW (https://unitedworldwrestling.org)). Research methods: analysis and synthesis, documentary method, comparison, methods of mathematical statistics. The study analyzed the careers of 18 freestyle wrestlers from 5 Olympic Games who won the title of champion in these competitions. The study took into account all the performances at official competitions (continental championships and world championships in all age groups and the Youth Olympic Games) of wrestlers. Results: it was found that in 5 Olympic Games, which included women's wrestling in the program (since 2004), 18 athletes won 18 out of 24 possible Olympic gold titles. The youngest age of the first performance at official international competitions before the Olympic triumph among the studied athletes was 15 years old. The latest first performance in the international arena among the study participants was recorded at the age of 25. It was found that the period from the first performance at official competitions to the gold medal at the Olympic Games was 5-9 years. It was also found that the shortest period from the first performance in the international arena to winning the Olympic Games was 2 years, and the longest was 15 years. To win Olympic gold, athletes had to participate in 9 official international competitions on average. The average age at which female athletes won at the Olympics is 22. Conclusions. To win gold at the Olympics, highly skilled wrestlers usually need to participate in a fairly large number of international competitions. However, there are exceptions in history among female athletes who have managed to reach the highest podium much faster and with fewer international competitions. This largely depends on individual characteristics and the specifics of the wrestlers' training system. Keywords: free wrestling, women, highly qualified sportswomen, competition, Olympic Games.