Oleh Sylka from Ukraine became the absolute mas-wrestling world champion in Saudi Arabia

At 11 am huge white buses have departed fr om the place of residence of the athletes in Riyadh. They headed in a way to the desert, wh ere the stylized settlement of nomads stretched.

This is a small area in the middle of the desert, around it there is only endless empty space. The desert here is not sandy in the usual sense, without any picturesque dunes and big “ships of the desert”. Just a dry land of light incomprehensible color. The eye has nothing to dwell on. From time to time in front of the gaze there are a few camels walking in a light unhurried pace, picking up something from the ground and chewing it. What they find edible on this parched earth remains a mystery.

A long way takes about two hours. All athletes at this point became friends. Some have a friendly conversation, some are joking and some are deeply sleeping. Upon arrival, they are waited for lunch in a large tent, after which all walk to the mas-wrestling venue. The sound technicians have just finished the preparation of the sound equipment and the fights have begun exactly at 4 pm according to the schedule.

The weather on this day was excellent. Not very hot and completely without wind. The bright sun blinds the eyes, the sky is very clear. Pair after pair, big guys from all over the world are stepping  on the platform, to pull an opponent to their side by a wooden stick. This process captures the attention of the public.

Mas-wrestling advantage is that every viewer understands the sequence of what is happening. One of the two must necessarily win. Immediately the favorite is selected, and whether it is successful or unsuccessful fight for him, the fan experiences various kinds of emotions. The fights are transient, so the result does not keep you waiting. Eastern public reacts to what is happening on the platform widely.

Meanwhile,  mas-wrestling giants have irreconcilable dispute among themselves. And the competitions last for a long time, because there are an unprecedented number of participants. The daylight is quickly replaced by twilight, then velvet darkness envelops everything around. The crescent as if ordered shines in the sky over the platform.

Only at 9pm a clear leader was revealed. His name is Oleh Sylka. The representative of the Ukrainian Mas-Wrestling Federation in the final match with the current world champion Sergey Frolkin with a dry score comes out on top. This is a success.

An athlete of tremendous growth and tremendous strength, Oleh Sylka does not hide the surging emotions, and only the joy of victory can justify his rash behavior. He tears off his shirt like a football player who scored a goal, and throws it onto the platform. Considering that in this country it is not customary to be topless, this looks slightly inappropriate. After the comments of the chief judge, he again wears a uniform. And only after that his hand shoots up.

Well, the name of the hero is known. Today Oleh accepts congratulations. For a whole year he will bear the proud name of the absolute world champion in mas-wrestling. Then he has to defend his title. In the meantime, he can calmly rest on his laurels.

After the finalists, the youngest participant from Azerbaijan, Jamal Feyziyev, who began his sports career, and the oldest athlete Antanas Abrutis from Lithuania, who finished his today's marathon on a heroic note with a hip muscle injury, took third places. The touching scene of carrying him from the platform on the shoulder of a losing rival from Chile caused a storm of applause.

Conclusions on the remaining participants are suggested to be made by the reader. Fortunately, there is someone to discuss, as there were many surprises. Below there is the list of places in order.