Ruslan Gadzhiyevich Karaev (Russian: Русла́н Гаджи́евич Кара́ев; born February 29, 1960) was a Soviet freestyle wrestler. He won USSR titles in 1985 (he defeated the 1980 European champion Gurgen Bagdasaryan), 1986, 1987 and 1990, placing second in 1982, 1988 and third in 1983 (Karaev beat the Olympic champion and the world champion Sergei Beloglazov). He was also the Wrestling World Cup champion in 1988, 1989.[1] [2] Ruslan Karaev won the gold medal at the Tbilisi International Tournament in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 (one American coach summed up the Tbilisi International Tournament as "probably five times as tough" as the Olympics[3]).[4] He placed second at the European Championships in 1983, 1986. He won the European junior champion title in 1980 (he defeated the 1980 Senior Balkans champion Georgi Kalchev). Ruslan Karaev defeated the strongest opponents: the Olimpic champion Sergei Beloglazov, the 1984 Olimpic Games silver medalist Barry Davis,[5] [6] the 1988 Olimpic Games bronze medalist Noh Kyung-Sun, Alejandro Puerto and so on.
Ruslan Karaev was born in Sergokala, Dagestan, he graduated from Dagestan State Agrarian University in 1983.