Taha Akgül

Taha Akgül is a Turkish freestyle wrestler at 125 kg, born in Sivas on 22 November 1990. He won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics and bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, the world championship three times and the European championship eleven times. He retired after the Paris 2024 Olympics and is now president of the Turkish Wrestling Federation. ^{1 2}

Akgül took up wrestling in 2003, following his father and his brother, who had wrestled before him. He studied physical education and sport at Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University and completed a master's degree at Sivas Cumhuriyet University. ¹

Akgül made his Olympic debut at London 2012, losing in the round of 16 to Russia's Bilyal Makhov. At Rio 2016 he won the gold medal, beating Iran's Komeil Ghasemi in the final. ³ He took the world titles of 2014, 2015 and 2022, eleven European titles between 2012 and 2024, and Olympic bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024; United World Wrestling named him its Freestyle Wrestler of the Year for 2022. He retired from wrestling after the Paris 2024 Olympics. ^{1 4}

Akgül now serves as president of the Turkish Wrestling Federation, after a career spent largely competing for the Ankara ASKİ sports club. ^{1 4}

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