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Who Am I?

I am World & Olympic Coach in Wrestling.

Valentin Kalika is an internationally renowned wrestling coach and has been the national coach for both USA and Israel since 2013. He coaches for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, which under his direction became the first team to win the World Cup for Team USA when the tournament was hosted in Ukraine in 2016. His devotion to wrestling and his students has played a pivotal role in the achievements of some of the most distinguished athletes in the sport. Additionally, his contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the title of 2016 Coach of the Year, as well as induction into the California Hall of Fame in 2020. He currently resides in New Jersey, where he coaches at Columbia State University.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he was appointed as the head coach for the Women’s Wrestling team. His students at the time, Helen Maroulis and Elena Pirozhkova, placed 1st and 5th respectively at the 2016 Olympics, with Maroulis making history as the first woman to win the gold in women’s wrestling for the United States. Among his other students are Amit Elor, who became the youngest World Champion in the history of USA wrestling in 2022 at only 18 years old, as well as Aaron Pico, who is currently fighting for Bellator, and before that was a 2x Junior World placer, and Cadet World Freestyle Champion runner-up. Overall, Kalika’s students have won a total of 12 gold medals for the USA Wrestling team.
Before moving to the States, Valentin obtained his Master’s degree in Elite Coaching and Sports Education at the prestigious Ukrainian Sports University. He also earned the title of “USSR Master of Sports” in Greco-Roman Wrestling in 1977 and served as a coach at one of Ukraine’s largest sports clubs. During his wrestling career, he secured the titles of USSR National Champion and National Ukrainian Champion in Greco-Roman Wrestling. In 2009, he became the first Greco Roman champion at the World Championship for team USA in the Veterans Division.
In addition to training elite athletes, Valentin also founded an international wrestling camp where young wrestlers can learn from the best athletes in the sport while exploring beautiful countries.