Sooners Host Kyrgyzstan Wrestling Team

NORMAN – The Wrestling World Championships freestyle division begins today, and the Sooners have an unlikely connection to the competition. For the past week, OU wrestling coach Mark Cody and his squad have hosted the Kyrgyzstan wrestling team, who held its pre-competition camp in Norman at OU's practice facility.

“A month ago I talked to Mark and told him we were going to Las Vegas for the World Championships and we needed a camp,” Kyrgyzstan wrestling head coach Ruslan Madzhinov said. “I asked if it was possible that we could have camp with his team and he told me it was no problem. This is a very nice school and he has a very good team, and I'm so happy to be here.”

The call, however, was not completely out of the blue. The camp was actually a reunion for the two coaches, as Madzhinov coached under Cody for three seasons at American University.

“It's great. I picked up something from him every day when we coached together. He's had a great career,” Cody explained. “I think he's one of the most technical wrestlers I've ever been around, and he's an expert at teaching technique, so it's nice to have him here to be able to pick his brain for a few days and get a refresher on things he's taught me in the past.”

The OU wrestling facility is home to one of USA Wrestling's Olympic practice facilities, which is where the Kyrgyzstan team has spent much of its training time. Cody said the camp has also been good for his team, as the Sooner wrestlers who have a USA Wrestling Card were allowed to get into the facility to practice and learn from the national team.

While American collegiate athletes practice folkstyle wrestling, Madzhinov's squad is competing in free-style wrestling. He said his time with OU has been educational.

“It's a big difference in the culture and the wrestling culture,” Madzhinov said. “We wrestle free style and I don't know a lot about college style, but I've learned a lot here from Mark Cody. For me this is a very good experience.”

Cody and his staff made sure the Kyrgyzstan team got the full Norman experience, taking them to dinner and hosting them at OU football's home opener against Akron. Cody said it was important the guests felt welcome and comfortable while training.

“We're very flattered that they picked us and picked to come here to Oklahoma,” Cody said. “He's (Madzhinov) been here before. We actually came here and competed when we coached together, but this is all really neat, especially for them to see our great facilities here. They probably aren't quite used to have an elaborate setup, and they were very taken aback by what they've seen here.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Host Kyrgyzstan Wrestling Team

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