Nuri Zengin
Turkish freestyle wrestler, oil wrestler, and coach
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Nuri Zengin (born 21 February 1976) is a Turkish former freestyle wrestler, oil wrestler, and coach. Competing in the 74 kg, 76 kg, 85 kg, and later 96 kg divisions, he won the gold medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games, gold medals at the 1996 World University Wrestling Championships and 1998 World University Wrestling Championships, and the gold medal at the 2000 Military World Wrestling Championships.[1][2][3]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 21 February 1976 Amasya, Turkey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Turkey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Ankara TEDAŞ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Yakup Topuz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Zengin was born in Amasya in 1976. He started wrestling in 1986 at MTA. His early coaches included Fahim Ceylan, Ziver Tura, Sait Temiz, Mustafa Suzan, Abdullah Benli, Ömer Suzan, and Hamdi Uzun. He later continued his career with TEDAŞ Ankara, where he trained under Yakup Topuz, Metin Topaktaş, and Yüksel Şanlı.[3][1]
At senior level, Zengin won his first major international gold medal at the 1996 World University Wrestling Championships in the 74 kg division. In 1998, he won another gold medal at the 1998 World University Wrestling Championships, this time in the 76 kg class. In the same year, he finished seventh at the 1998 European Wrestling Championships, eleventh at the 1998 World Wrestling Championships, and fourth at the 1998 Goodwill Games.[1]
In 2000, Zengin won the gold medal in the 85 kg category at the Military World Wrestling Championships in Camp Lejeune. The following year, he became champion of the men's freestyle 85 kg event at the 2001 Mediterranean Games. In the same season, he finished fifth with Turkey at the 2001 Wrestling World Cup.[1][2]
During his career, Zengin suffered several serious injuries. He first wrestled in Greco-Roman before switching to freestyle. After leaving mat wrestling in 2006, he turned to traditional oil wrestling and competed in various events, including Kırkpınar.[3]
After his active wrestling career, Zengin worked as a physical education teacher. In 2011, he won the gold medal in the 97 kg division at the Veterans Freestyle World Championships in Tirana, Albania.[4][5]
In later years, he also worked as a coach at club and national team level. In 2023, he was named among the assistant coaches of the Turkey men's freestyle national team.[6]