Chartiers Valley wrestler works way to top
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Shamil Zaynullaev ranks among the top 195-pound wrestlers in the WPIAL. The Chartiers Valley senior recently captured the Allegheny County title and the championship at the Buckeye Local Panther Classic.
Zaynullaev
Shamil Zaynullaev had a weight problem as a youth. So he wrestled.
“I was chubby. My belly was so big,” he said as he wrapped his muscular arms around his now chiseled abs.
While his father threw his son into the sport for fitness, it wasn’t until Zaynullaev hit a growth spurt that he slimmed down like his trimmer brothers, Bakhtiyar, 20, and Murat, 16.
“They were tall and lean and could eat whatever they wanted. It was annoying. People told me it was just baby fat so when I got real tall my belly shrunk. It was cool.”
Not so cool for Zaynullaev’s opponents, though. Shamil has dropped 45 of the 240 pounds he carried as a sophomore on his 6-foot frame. He ranks third in the 195-pound weight class in the WPIAL. The current Allegheny County champion most recently captured a similar title in the Buckeye Local Panther Classic held this past weekend.
“Shamil is an extremely talented wrestler,” said Chartiers Valley mat boss Bill Evans. “He is tough, athletic, technically sound and has a knack for moving quickly in short bursts along with a healthy gas tank. Overall, he is well-rounded.”
That is no exaggeration.
In his 17 years, Zaynullaev has been exposed to many things. Born in Russia, Shamil, who is of Turkish descent, moved to the United States. The family first settled in Baldwin in 2006. After a brief return to Russia, the Zaynullaev clan moved into Mt. Lebanon. Shamil was 8. Two years ago, when the family bought a home in Scott Township, he transferred into the Chartiers Valley School District.
“Shamil is just a great human being,” said Evans, noting how his wrestler serves as one of his student-teacher leadership assistants in the classroom. “He is quiet, humble, speaks softly and is respectful. He treats everyone around him fairly. He is also extremely well-adjusted and makes new friends easily. The fact that he has moved around a bit makes him better prepared for new environments like college, that first job or a new city.”
The wrestling room is Shamil’s preferred environment. For 10 years, it has been his home away from home. The senior enters this year’s upcoming individual tournaments as a defending section champion. Seeded fourth in last year’s district tournament, he failed to place and advance to the PIAA championships. Upper St. Clair’s Jesse Slinger dashed Shamil’s dreams in a consolation match after reaching the WPIAL semifinals.
Of his rival and friend, Shamil said, “(Slinger) stopped me. He stuck me on my back.”
While Shamil will not face Slinger this year as the junior competes in the 220-pound weight class, Zaynullaev faces stiff competition at 195 in Danny Starr, who helped Kiski beat Canon-McMillan and win the WPIAL Class AAA team title, and Nate Ansell of Connellsville. The two are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 ahead of Shamil, who also expects competition from Baldwin’s Gehrig Hutchinson, whom he beat for the county title.
“They are all good. They all know how to wrestle,” explained Shamil, “but my goal is to win WPIALs and go to states. My main goal is to make it to states.”
As long as he wrestles up to the abilities that have earned him a 25-2 record to date, Zaynullaev has an opportunity to realize his expectations, says Evans.
“Shamil is capable of placing highly in any competition that you put him in,” Evans said. “There are a lot of tough competitors. Even though he is capable of it, he still needs to show up and compete at his highest level.”
The Section 4 tournament is set for Feb. 24 at Trinity while the WPIAL championships run March 2-3 at Canon-McMillan High School. The top four finishers in each weight class advance to the PIAA championships set for March 8-10 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“Sections is the first goal and I have to keep on working on things like my aggressiveness and wrestling on top. I think I wrestle best in the neutral position.”
Shamil is wrestling better because he is confident. Winning the county title helped boost his self-esteem.
“It was a big mental thing for me. None of those guys were better than me and I had to tell myself I can do it. I’ll actually shoot this time, keep my position and not fold. And, I didn’t get thrown on my back.
“I’m not holding anything back. Now that I’m decent, I’m enjoying wrestling more. It’s why I keep doing it. It’s entertainment for me. I love wrestling.”
NOTES: CV placed 10th at the Buckeye Classic. In addition to Zaynullaev, Zachary Macy of Scott Township took third.
Age 17
Birthdate May 19
Parents: Roza and Javat
Siblings: Bakhtiyar, 20, Murat, 16, Aslan, 10
Community: Scott Township
High School: Chartiers Valley
Year: Senior
GPA: 4.25
College choice: Undecided
Career: Cyber security
Color: Purple. “I like the rain and when it thunders, I see lightning as purple. I like the sound and the chill it gives you.”
Food: Wings
Movie: Deadpool “Hands down it will make your day if you haven’t seen it. It’s the best movie.”
Music: Rap and Hip hop. “It gets my blood flowing. (If I don’t hear it before wrestling), I’ll come out sluggish and be slow. That’s not good.”
Book: Percy Jacskon Books. “I like to put myself in the place of the main character.”
Dream Destination: Hawaii.
Favorite athlete: Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee. “I don’t watch any sports except wrestling and I watch all his matches. It’s stunning how he can beat all his opponents, and so quickly. He’s just so dominating.”
Hero: Mt. Lebanon head coach Marc Allemang. “He taught me all the basics and Coach (Billy) Evans fixes up everything else. Coach Allemang made for a great partner in the room. Just because he’s older doesn’t mean he can’t still wrestle. He’s an astonishing wrestler.”
People might be surprised to know this about you? “I like to draw. I do pencil sketches mainly.”
Person you would most like to have dinner with? “My sister. She passed away when she was just born. She’d be a young adult now because she was one year older than me. One day though, I’ll be with her.”
What has your sport taught you: “Wrestling has taught me that even if it gets hard and you want to quit (and you will want to quit a lot), you push through and work hard, to the best of your ability. It’s going to be the same in your adult life but tenfold.”