Wrestling

Wrestling takes many forms, but whether it's the Greco-Roman style used in the West and the Olympics, the traditional Kushti style practiced in India and Pakistan, or even the grand Sumo variety staged in Japan, it's an ancient and demanding discipline that may just be the world's oldest sport. ( 31 photos total)

Josh Boyd of Catholic Memorial High School (left) wrestles Waltham High School's Ricky Caruso during the MIAA wrestling semifinals at Salem High School in Salem, Mass. Feb. 28, 2009. (Robert E. Klein for The Boston Globe)

The crowd erupts as Wayland's Ryan Malloy (standing) left Pembroke's John Mercurio on his back after pinning him to win in a 112 pound match during the state high school wrestling championships at Marlborough High School in Massachusetts February 17. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff) #

Steven Walsh of Brockton High School warmed up during the MIAA boys wrestling semifinal at Salem High February 27. (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff) #

Pete Gourairidis (bottom) flips Leon White during the men's 96kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in Cleveland April 23. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta) #

Michael Rhone of Benton High School grabs the corner of the mat as he is dragged back by Mason Beckman of Reynolds High School in their AA 119 pound championship match March 13 in Hershey, Pa. at the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) #

Northern Iowa's Tyson Reiner (bottom) tries to get free from Virginia's Dan Gonsor during their match at the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 18 in Omaha. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver) #

Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson (right) tries to tie up Pittsburgh's Anthony Zanetta during their match at the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 19 in Omaha. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver) #

Indian Kushti wrestlers compete in Hamirpur, India March 26. Kushti is the ancient South Asian form of wrestling that is believed to have been practiced since at least the 5th century B.C. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) #

Young Indian wrestlers wait their turn to compete during training at a Kushti school for traditional wrestling in Amritsar, India April 17. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) #

Indian wrestlers joke with each other after training at a Kushti school for traditional wrestling in Amritsar, India April 17. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) #

Young Indian wrestlers train at a Kushti school for traditional wrestling in Amritsar, India March 30. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) #

An Indian wrestler pulls a tool used to flatten the surface for training at a Kushti school for traditional wrestling in Amritsar, India April 17. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) #

Indian wrestlers practice in a mud pit during a training session at Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. Far from the hype that swarms around India's wealthy professional cricketers, young men learn to wrestle in mud pits, hoping their skills may one day lead to fame and glory. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Indian wrestler stands at the door of the Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Indian wrestler stretches for a training session at Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Indian wrestler exercises during a training session at Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Indian wrestler climbs a rope during a training session at Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Indian wrestlers watch a training session at Guru Hanuman Akhara wrestling school in New Delhi April 7. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Indian wrestlers practice with clubs at Loknath Akhara wrestling school in Allahabad April 19. India's indigenous form of wrestling was once a royal national sport which dates back thousands of years and is traditionally performed on a sandpit. (DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images) #

A traditional Indian wrestler smears mud on himself during a practice session in Calcutta March 30. Hindus across the country were celebrating Hanuman Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Hindu God Hanuman, a day considered especially important for traditional wrestlers and bodybuilders. (AP Photo/Sucheta Das) #

Pakistani wrestlers perform in an Akhara, or gym made of dirt, during a workout in Lahore, Pakistan April 28. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary) #

Pakistani Kushti wrestler Bashir Bohla Balha (right) trains at the Champion Khalu Behalwan wrestling club in the Old City of Lahore, Pakistan December 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) #

Benjamin von Ah (top) and Raphael Arnold fight during the 'Schwingen' wrestling at the 106th Schwingen festival in Sarnen, Switzerland May 9. (AP Photo/Keystone/Urs Flueeler) #

Azeri Elchin Aliyev (left) celebrates after winning the gold medal against Russian Nazyr Mankiev during the men's Greco-Roman wrestling 55kg event at the Senior Wrestling European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan April 17. (VANO SHLAMOV/AFP/Getty Images) #

US Marines engage in freestyle wrestling after returning to base following a house-by-house search operation in Marjah, Afghanistan April 13. (MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Afghan boys warm up before practicing wrestling inside a factory destroyed during the Afghan civil war in Kabul April 17. During the rule of the Taliban, wrestlers were required to wear loose fitting pants and t-shirts during workouts and competitions. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) #

Afghan boys take part in a wrestling training session at the national Olympic headquarters in Kabul May 11. Afghanistan has a strong wrestling tradition, despite being ravaged by war and conflict throughout the past decade. (MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Afghan boys take part in a wrestling training session at the national Olympic headquarters in Kabul May 11. (MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Boys compete in the 15th annual Wrestling Tournament on Snow in Velikoy village in Artvin province, Turkey February 20. For the first time in the tournament's history, the participants will wrestle in an arena not covered with snow due to freak weather which locals blame on global warming. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas) #

Sumo wrestlers compete at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo's National Sumo Stadium January 11. (KO SASAKI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES) #

Sumo wrestlers Tosayutaka (right) and Toyohibiki fall in the dirt after Tosayutaka threw his opponent during their bout in the grand summer tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena May 9. (AP Photo/Kyodo News, Naohiko Hatta) #

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Wrestling