Famous Siberian wrestler 'strangled to death with a whip', his body dumped in forest

A 23 year old Russian man was arrested on suspicion of murder, said police. Mongush was the Tyva Republic's athlete of the 20th century for his exploits in the traditional form of wrestling known as Khuresh.

He participated in the 1996 Olympics in the flyweight category and later became a trainer. He was a very well-known, loved and respected figure in his Tyva homeland. 

The wrestler had been missing for ten days and investigators said they were led to his body by the suspect who admitted his involvement. 

'He attested to the fact that he choked the victim to death with a whip, after which he took the body out to the forest, where he buried him,' said a statement from Tyva region Investigative Committee.

The president of Tyva's federation of freestyle wrestling, Vladimir Tulush, told AFP: 'He was the first to go to the Olympic Games from Tyva, he worked here and trained a lot of wrestlers.'

His death was a 'great loss'. Mongush 'was very well-known here and a very good person'.