At least nine high schools in Brooklyn and one in Queens have Uzbek immigrants on their wrestling squads.rn
Jahongir Davronov, 14, who came to New York in 2010, said his father also wrestled in his homeland. “The people of our country were made for wrestling,” he said.”
The smartphone with the earbuds blasting rap and rock music during warm-ups was set aside. The easy smile vanished. Zafar Iskandarov, 18, was all focused aggression, knowing his match was the decisive one for the Brooklyn International School in the season’s final meet.
Wrestling up two weight classes at 170 pounds, Zafar was a blur of blue and yellow. For the first minute and 38 seconds he ran up the score, executing one takedown after another so quickly the scorekeeper could barely keep pace. Then, with his opponent from Bayard Rustin Educational Complex pinned helplessly beneath him, it was over. Brooklyn International ended with a 5-2 record, its first winning season in years.
Zafar, one of the city’s top wrestlers, has brightened his team’s fortunes. But what is most remarkable is that while he stands out among peers for his skill, he no longer does for his background. When he started at Brooklyn International he was one of only three Uzbeks at the school, but Uzbeks are becoming perhaps the defining force in Brooklyn wrestling. Brooklyn International now has 20 Uzbeks among its 350 students, and 10 of them are on the wrestling team, with more to come.
At least nine high schools in Brooklyn and one in Queens have Uzbek immigrants on their teams. Those with the most Uzbeks — New Utrecht, Midwood, Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Forest Hills — have been among the top teams in their divisions. Midwood had a record of 3-4 in 2012, its last year with no Uzbeks, but has been 20-5 since.
The booming Uzbek population and its unquenchable desire to wrestle “has given the sport a shot in the arm,” said George Hero, the wrestling coach at Midwood High School where 12 of the 52 wrestlers are from Uzbekistan, a former part of the Soviet Union. “The numbers are through the roof.”
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Mr. Hero said wrestling kept students focused on their schoolwork and opened their eyes to the possibilities of college.
“If you’re struggling in school with a new language, it’s a lot easier to go to school every day when you, your teachers and your peers know you excel at something else,” Mr. Walsh said, adding that Zafar had difficulty in the classroom when he first arrived but had greatly improved. “With wrestling, they learn how effective hard work can be.”
Jahongir, the Midwood wrestler, said: “Without wrestling, school can sometimes get boring. This is the best thing in my life.”
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly omitted the given name of the coach of New Utrecht High School. He is Chris Friedrich.
A version of this article appears in print on February 15, 2015, on page MB1 of the New York edition with the headline: An Uzbek Wave, ‘Made for Wrestling’. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
