Uali Kurzhev

He and his twin brother, Ali Kurzhev, who is 3 minutes younger than Uali, joined the judo & sambo club, headed by V.I. Pchelkin, in Cherkessk at the age of six. It was their mother who took them to the club.   

When brothers turned 14, their family moved to Ryazan, where they met K.N. Fofanov, the senior coach of the Ryazan region sambo team and the head of the sports club “Native land is sport”. The then young sports club rose to the position of the largest sambo club in the region, and, basically, both brothers set up an unassailable tandem, setting the tone in the 74kg weight class in every single major tournament.

He deems standing game his strongest suit. It is no coincidence that he gained his quickest victory at the age of 15-16 within two seconds by sweep. He reckons wrestling is his lifeblood.

Since 2021, he has been sporting the colours of UMMC Sambo Club (Verkhnyaya Pyshma), and won the Russian Championship in the new 79kg weight class in 2021. He played a blinder throughout the tournament and achieved an early and shining victory, naturally, due to his splendid performance in his favorite standing game. Having said that, hardly anybody noticed that in the pivotal encounter Kurzhev competed with a fractured rib.

Ali graduated from the Academy of Law and Management of the Federal Penal Service of Russia. He is married, and has a daughter. He prefers spending his free time with his family and likes playing football.

Landmark achievements

• World Champion (2011, 2012, 2019) 
• European Champion (2013) 
• World University Championship Winner (2013) 
• Russian National Champion (2011, 2012, 2019, 2021)