Denis Tsargush is a famous Russian athlete, a freestyle wrestler. He is a three-time champion of the world and Europe, as well as a five-time champion of the Russian Federation. At the 2012 Olympics he won a bronze medal.
For outstanding achievements in sports, he was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree. The Government of the Abkhaz Republic was awarded the Order of Honor and Glory of the II degree for the promotion and development of physical culture.
Athlete Biography
Denis Igorevich Tsargush was born on September 1, 1987 in the Abkhaz city of Gadauta, Georgian SSR. Like all Caucasian boys, from childhood he became interested in freestyle wrestling. Perseverance paid off: Denis repeatedly became a participant in youth tournaments, at one of which he attracted the attention of CSKA coaches who invited him to train at a famous club. Denis at that time was in the 9th grade and did not dream about major wrestling tournaments, especially about the Olympic Games. The limit of the youth’s dreams at that time was to be the strongest in the school, in the area.
The proposal was naturally accepted. So Denis Tsargush got into big sport, whose biography became one of the pages of the glorious history of Russian sport. Let's get to know her better.
Many fans are interested in who is Denis Tsargush by nationality. He is an Abkhazian, his small homeland is the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was part of Georgia until 2008.
Tsargush about himself and his parents
Denis Tsargush is an optimist by nature, but always ready for surprises in life and in sports. For unforeseen situations, he always has his own “blank”, this allows him to easily overcome the circumstances that have developed not in his favor. This quality has made him an outstanding athlete.
Considers himself partly old-fashioned in relationships with the weaker sex. In his opinion, a girl should be beautiful with her modesty. So far this athlete has not met, so he is still not married.
Father for Denis is an example of courage. Having lost his sight during the military conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia, he has his own business and does not lose his spirit.
Athlete's mom is an example of a guardian of a family hearth. She dreamed that his son would heal people, but he went the other way. Father in this always supported Denis.
For Tsurgash, Abkhazia is a place where all the hardships of life disappear somewhere, and around - native people.
Stages of the path to fame
According to Denis Tsurgash, there are no easy paths to serious achievements in sports. He understood this when he became the winner in the world junior championship, achieved victories in competitions at the World Cup and the championship of Russia.
At the age of 19, Denis already played at the national championship, where he won gold. In the future, he still three times (2009, 2010 and 2012) rises to the first step of the pedestal of the championship of Russia. 2008 was an exception for Tsurgash: he got only bronze.
The wrestler’s success was noticed by experts, and in 2010 he already stands for the Russian team at the European Championships. Baku has become a city where a young wrestler wins his first gold European champion. In the future, he twice more (2011 and 2012) rises to the first step of the European Championship podium.
The determination and industriousness of the young wrestler led him to victory at the World Championships (for adults) in 2009. Thus, Denis Tsargush became the first athlete in Abkhazia to achieve the world championship title in freestyle wrestling. A year later, he successfully defended this title in a duel with Iranian Sadeh Gudarzi.
With such a solid track record of sports achievements, Denis could not help but be in the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics. However, the first games brought the Russian wrestler in weight up to 74 kg only bronze. On the way Tsurgash to the highest step of the podium was the American wrestler Jordan Barrows, already familiar to him from the World Cup in Istanbul. He turned out to be stronger.
Fatal Championship
Denis Tsargush, who even saw in a dream how he won gold at the London Olympics, then received only a bronze medal. From that moment, Olympic gold became the meaning of life for him in the next four years, since he felt the spirit of the main sports, the taste of victory, although bronze. And this meant again years of hard work to prove to all rivals that wrestler Denis Tsargush is the strongest and worthy to represent Russia at the games in Brazil in 2016. To summarize the four-year work was supposed to be the championship of the country of freestyle wrestlers in Yakutsk.
From May 27 to 29, 2016 in Yakutsk (Republic of Sakha) competitions were held among the strongest free-style wrestlers of the country. In weight up to 74 kg Denis Tsargush, Aniuar Geduev, Husey Suyunchev and Atsamaz Sanakoev performed. From this category Tsargush and Geduev reached the finals.
The final battle was not in favor of Tsargush, and the gold went to a fighter from Kabardino-Balkaria.
Goodbye Olympic Games?
The defeat at the championship in Yakutsk caused great regret and suspicion among Tsargush fans that these competitions were the last for the athlete. The wrestler himself explains his loss by the fact that he did not get the desired shape due to an earlier injury. Denis believes that he did not use the chance to roll Geduev at the beginning of the fight and score points, although in general the fight was on an equal footing. But 10 seconds before graduation Tsargush unjustifiably took a chance and gave Geduev points.
After the championship, Denis Tsargush indirectly confirmed the fans' fears about participating in the 2016 Olympics, saying that his health is unlikely to allow him to speak at the main sports competition. At the same time, the wrestler does not exclude his participation in individual competitions, but on a smaller scale.