Zakhar Dzmitrychenka lifts Nguyen Thi Thanh Truc during their wrestling match in Trieu Khuc Villages Festival. (Photos of Grappling Viet Nam)
Undefeated wrestler Zakhar Dzmitrychenka has not only drawn the attention of huge crowds at village festivals, but has also become a top trend on social media over the past few weeks.
With his beard, tied-back hair and tall, broad figure of 1.81m and 85kg, the Belarusian man has become a highlight in all traditional wrestling competitions that he takes part in around Hanoi since the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
The appearance of 'Thor', the nickname given to him by his Vietnamese fans, is sure to draw a crowd to wrestling festivals, with everyone excited to watch him in person. On the internet, his match videos receive remarkable interactions and become top trends on YouTube and TikTok.
He performs well starting from his pre-match ritual, with light footsteps and arm movements like a local, but also shows excellent wrestling skills that have helped him keep his unbeaten record.
Among those who lost to 'Thor' were Japanese fighter Masafumi Arikawa and Asian jujitsu winner Nguyen Thi Thanh Truc at the Trieu Khuc Village Festival.
On February 12, Dzmitrychenka won over two-time World Beach Cup jujitsu champion Dao Hong Son. He then took on former nine-time national champion Nguyen The Cu in Chau Phong village. The duo made a thrilling match, which was finally announced a draw after 10 rounds.
Son, who is also a judo fighter, admitted he was overwhelmed when he saw Dzmitrychenka's performance. He expressed his appreciation of the Belarusian's physical strength, saying that Vietnamese wrestlers would have a very slim chance of winning against him.
Son also revealed that a match between Dzmitrychenka and five-time SEA Games wrestling champion Ha Van Hieu, Viet Nam's largest athlete at 1.91m in height and 130kg in weight, would be announced soon.
Born in 1996, Dzmitrychenka was the national wrestling champion and achieved the title of Master of Sports in wrestling in his homeland. He also won a bronze medal at the IBWA World Championship and reached the top 10 of the U23 World Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling.
In addition to wrestling, Dzmitrychenka, who was based in Nha Trang for two years, also practised mixed martial arts.
His mastery of wrestling and his physical strength helped him defeat rival Tran Quoc Toan with a ground and pound technique within two minutes in Viet Nam's leading MMA event, the LION Championship 19, in Phu Quoc last November.
Previously, he beat Vietnamese fighter Le Hong Giang by a unanimous decision in the LION Championship 15 in Hanoi./.
Source: VNA
