Alex Bjurberg Kessidis

Alex Bjurberg Kessidis
Alex Bjurberg Kessidis at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway
Personal information
Full nameAlex Michel Bjurberg Kessidis
Born (1995-03-23) 23 March 1995 (age 29)
Height187 cm (6.14 ft; 74 in)
Sport
CountrySweden
SportAmateur wrestling
Weight class77 kg
EventGreco-Roman
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  Sweden
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Nur-Sultan 77 kg
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Rome 77 kg
European Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Minsk 77 kg
Representing All-World Team
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Baku Team

Alex Michel Bjurberg Kessidis (born 23 March 1995) is a Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a silver medalist at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships and a bronze medalist at the 2020 European Wrestling Championships and the 2019 European Games. He represented Sweden at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[1]

Early life

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Kessidis and his brother Laokratis Kessidis, also a Greco-Roman wrestler, were born and raised in Sweden by a Greek father and a Swedish mother.[2] In wrestling competitions his brother had chosen to represent Greece whereas Alex Kessidis represents Sweden.[2]

Career

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He competed in the 80 kg event at the 2016 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest, Hungary and in the same event at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships held in Paris, France.[3][4] The following year, he competed in the 77 kg event at the 2018 European Wrestling Championships held in Kaspiysk, Russia. In the same year, he reached the semi-finals in the 77 kg event at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest, Hungary where he lost against Aleksandr Chekhirkin of Russia.[5] He then also lost his bronze medal match against Viktor Nemeš of Serbia.[5]

He won the silver medal at the 77 kg event at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.[6] In the same year, he also competed at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus and he won one of the bronze medals in the 77 kg event.[7]

In 2020, he won one of the bronze medals in the 77 kg event at the European Wrestling Championships held in Rome, Italy.[8][9] In his bronze medal match he defeated Volodymyr Yakovliev of Ukraine.[9]

In January 2021, he won the gold medal in the 82 kg event at the 2021 Grand Prix Zagreb Open held in Zagreb, Croatia.[10] In April 2021, he was eliminated in his second match in the 82 kg event at the European Wrestling Championships in Warsaw, Poland.[11] In June 2021, he won one of the bronze medals in his event at the 2021 Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Cup held in Warsaw, Poland.[12][13]

He competed in the 77 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan where he was eliminated in his first match by Rafig Huseynov of Azerbaijan.[1] Two months after the Olympics, he lost his bronze medal match in the 82 kg event at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway.[14]

In 2022, he competed at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series held in Rome, Italy.[15] He lost his bronze medal match in the 87 kg event at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.[16]

He competed at the 2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan hoping to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[17] He was eliminated in his first match and he did not qualify for the Olympics.[17]

Achievements

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Year Tournament Location Result Event
2019 European Games Minsk, Belarus 3rd Greco-Roman 77 kg
World Championships Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan 2nd Greco-Roman 77 kg
2020 European Championships Rome, Italy 3rd Greco-Roman 77 kg

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wrestling Results Book" (PDF). 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Παγκόσμιο πάλης: Τελικός στα 77κ. και Τόκιο για τον Ελληνοσουηδό Κεσίδη". sportsfeed (in Greek). 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  3. ^ "2016 World Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  4. ^ "2017 World Wrestling Championships" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b "2018 World Wrestling Championships Results" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. ^ "2019 World Wrestling Championships Results" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ^ "2019 European Games Wrestling Results" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. ^ Houston, Michael (11 February 2020). "Teenager Nazaryan wins Greco-Roman gold on day two of European Wrestling Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b "2020 European Wrestling Championships Results" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  10. ^ "2021 Grand Prix Zagreb Open Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 European Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  12. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (12 June 2021). "Levai misses gold after beating double Olympic champion Vlasov at UWW Poland Open". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  13. ^ "2021 Poland Open Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  14. ^ Burke, Patrick (8 October 2021). "Rafig Huseynov among winners of first Greco-Roman finals at UWW World Championships in Oslo". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2022 Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  16. ^ "2022 World Wrestling Championships Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  17. ^ a b "2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament Results Book" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
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