Firstly, Vitaliy got into the Top-8 from a spare place. Secondly, at all previous stages he was not an unconditional favorite. But despite all this, today no one will argue that he is not in his place. But can Vitaly surprise us for the third time and stop Levan’s winning series, or is it even beyond his power?

The course of the duel will probably happen according to this scenario: both opponents will start the fight with toproll, then slip and go to the straps. As the practice of past fights shows, for both participants this does not cause any problems. But in order to understand and predict the future course, we need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the participants.

Levan Saginashvili. The first thing that catches the eye is the huge dimensions: general and also arm and palm size that is more relevant in armwrestling. Levan’s wrist is very strong, because he started as the second number, restrained the attacks of his opponents and twisted them without any difficulties, after which he easily pulled them to the pillow - respectively, his back strength is no worse. Yes, we can recall the fight against Kydyrgali, but there the wrist was loaded only during slips, after which, in straps, Levan did not leave a single chance to the opponent. Also, the Georgian hulk does not experience any visible discomfort when pulling in a hook, where the dimensions of the hand affect the result a little less. And, of course, it is worth noting his wrist stretch, which he didn’t give anyone a chance to use a hook when he pulls toproll. In fact, Levan is a rather versatile athlete, and among his weak points we can only distinguish the side movement, at least in contrast with all pulling movements, and the frequent fighting as the second number.

Vitaly Laletin, on the contrary, has a rather narrow specialization. He has a very strong wrist stretch and lateral pressure, which, combined with a slightly lowered leading, did not leave opponents a chance to get into the hook. In addition, he definitely has a faster reaction and start than Levan. And the arm length is no less impressive than Georgian armwrestler’s. As for the weaknesses, these are almost all positions with a supinated hand.

Now we can imagine what awaits us when fighting in straps. Most likely, Vitaly will start first, and perhaps he will be able to bring down the center. And if he manages to pronate Levan’s arm quite strongly, then he has every chance of winning. But still we believe that Vitaly’s style of struggle is quite dependent on anthropometry. And the Russian arm wrestler will not be able to fight against the failed lead, because in that case, he will lose his wrist. Therefore, it will be necessary to fight with the raised lead, and this in turn will reduce the load on the lower fingers of Levan, and opens an opportunity for a counterattack in the hook, in which the hulk has a lot more chances.

We assume that Vitaliy will be able to gain and later realize an advantage in several rounds because of quick start, but Levan Saginashvili will score 4-2 or 5-1 due to the lack of technique dependence on his anthropometry.