LONG WAY FROM HOME
American's Abdurakhmanov wants to end on high note
Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov spoke no English and had never wrestled folkstyle when he arrived in the United States nearly four years ago.
And he had no idea where Colby, Kansas was.
But Muzaffar quickly adapted to his new surroundings. He won a pair of national junior college championships at Colby Community College before landing a scholarship with American University.
The
Russian studies major had a 3.4 grade-point average last year, the highest on the American team. He met and married his wife, Svetlana, in Washington, D.C. and they have a baby on the way.He is ranked fourth at 165 pounds and is a legitimate contender to win an NCAA championship next month in Oklahoma City.
“I love the United States,” said Muzaffar, 25, from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. “This is a great country. I love Washington, D.C. I’ve met a lot of interesting people from all over the world there.”
Muzaffar followed his best friend and countryman, Erkin Tadzhimetov to the U.S. and to Colby. Tadzhimetov was a national JUCO runner-up at Colby and now wrestles 133 for Utah Valley State.
“He talked me into coming over here, and I’m glad he did,” Muzaffar said. “I’m hoping to stay here after I finish college.”
Landing in the middle of the Heartland was not exactly what Muzaffar pictured while growing up in Tashkent, a city of three million people that was part of the former Soviet Union.
“It was a pretty big culture shock, going from a big city to a small town of 5,000 people,” Muzaffar said. “But Colby was really nice. The people were great and real friendly. I had a great experience there. Everything was within walking distance, which was kind of strange for me. But it was nice.”
Muzaffar entered the 2005 NCAA tournament in St. Louis seeded fourth at 157 pounds, but he failed to place. He finished 27-3.
“I cut too much weight and that had a negative effect on me,” he said. “I never had to cut weight back home. I still couldn’t believe what happened last year at Nationals. I expected to do a lot better. It’s hard for me to even think about what happened.”
Wrestling folkstyle also has put a bigger premium on conditioning, since the matches are longer than the freestyle bouts Muzaffar grew up competing in.
“With folkstyle, you have to be in the best shape of any style,” American coach Mark Cody said. “Muzaffar has learned that and understands that now.”
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