A second life in Italy August 30, 2026

Some wrestlers left their mark on the arena with their exploits before reinventing themselves or retraining after their sporting career. The section “What happened to them?” » tells of their post-career life. Today, spotlight on Khadim Sarr, former wrestler from the Falaye Baldé stable. Based in Piacenza since 2016, he now works at Cooperativa San Martino, specializing in logistics and business services.

Some wrestlers tiptoe out of the arena. Others leave behind a taste of unfinished business. Khadim Sarr belongs to this second category.

He was born in Thiaroye-sur-Mer, where he spent part of his childhood, before growing up in Pikine. In Thiaroye, he discovered the “mbapatt”, these night sessions of traditional wrestling which then constituted a real breeding ground for champions.

“In Thiaroye, I grew up in Oryx. This is where former wrestler Manga 2 used to organize mbapatt. I was studying in Pikine, but I came to spend my vacation in Thiaroye. I attended these ‘mbapatt’. I saw Pikine champions like Mbacké Bâ, Balla Bèye 1, etc. fighting there. After my vacation in Thiaroye, I returned to Pikine where I found these champions in my neighborhood who came to fight in Thiaroye,” he says.

The young Khadim was not completely foreign to wrestling. He would later discover that he had family ties to this universe.

“I started wrestling. It was only afterwards that I was told that I had wrestling grandparents, like Riche Niang, a former coach of the Senegal national team,” he reveals.

Added to this is a geographical proximity which will definitively guide its destiny. His family home was not far from that of Falaye Baldé. It is therefore natural that he gets closer to this great team. In 1996, Khadim Sarr joined it.

The talent that never exploded

There are five years left to learn, to participate in “mbapatt” to build solid experience. It was only in 2001 that he made his debut in strike wrestling.

His first fight pitted him against Balla Diouf de Fass, whom he executed. The Pikinois continued his path and then won against Formam 2.

But his real breakthrough came when he crossed paths with Sa Cadior 2. At that time, Sa Cadior 2 enjoyed a solid reputation. An outstanding and powerful technician, he represented a difficult adversary to maneuver.

Khadim Sarr, for his part, returned from a long period of absence after an injury which had kept him away from the arena for a year. Rather than immediately returning to the spotlight, he chose to work in the shadows.

“After treating my injury, I went two years without fighting. I had made myself very rare. Nobody knew where I was. I trained and hid,” he says.

This discretion would allow him to prepare one of the finest performances of his career. Faced with his Cadior 2, he surprised everyone by defeating them.

“He was unaware of my qualities. This is why, after his fall, he told me that I was a great talent for having managed to dominate him and that I had a very promising future,” he remembers.

Khadim Sarr has had some significant successes. He notably dominated Brise-de-Mer on June 19, 2011. But, a few months later, he lost to Ouza Sow de Fass, on October 30, 2011.

This defeat does not prevent him from bouncing back. On May 4, 2013, he took over Boy Ngaye. Then comes May 1, 2014, the date of one of his most important fights: his duel with Modou Awa Tine.

For 27 minutes, the two athletes engage in an intense battle. Khadim Sarr demonstrates his technique and his resistance before winning. The victory confirms the one previously obtained against Boy Ngaye.

“I had a 21-year career without succeeding in displaying my true potential in strike wrestling. My record is 13 fights for 9 victories and 4 defeats. My fights were spaced out because I didn’t have a real manager. I wrestled once a year. I really regret not having reached a certain level given my talent,” he confides.

This frustration returns like a leitmotif in his story. He has only known one stable: Falaye Baldé. And he speaks about it with great respect.

He rubbed shoulders with several generations of wrestlers and big names. Among them, wrestlers from the Sanitized Parcels like Zoss, Moussa Dioum, Yaram Guèye, Dolf or Baboye n°2, but also children from Pikine such as Eumeu Sène, Yaya Diamé, Mbaye Diallo, Papa Baldé, Tapha Sow and Jules Baldé.

He maintains a particular admiration for some of his elders, notably Papa Baldé and Pathé Baldé, who taught him a lot. But it is Jules Baldé whom he cites as one of the models of this era.

In his mind, the Falaye Baldé stable was a true wrestling university.

“People are used to saying that Fass is the university of wrestling, for me it’s more the Falaye Baldé stable,” he believes.

But behind this pride lies regret. Khadim believes that his stable has not sufficiently structured the careers of its residents.

“The only big downside to this team is that the managers did not know how to structure the careers of their wrestlers,” he says.

He claims to have been “uncompromising in the ‘mbapatt'”, to the point of not fearing any wrestler. He cites Modou Lô, Babacar Diallo, Omar Fall “Momeu”, Tidiane Faye.

From the arena to Italy

But strike wrestling required something else: regular fights, a good career strategy, professional supervision and, above all, opportunities. This is precisely what he lacked.

Khadim Sarr’s last appearance in the arena took place on May 28, 2016. He faced Marley de Guédiawaye. The Pikinois, who had prepared in France, was then given the favorite. But he bows at the end of this confrontation.

In 2016, he stayed in France for several months. It was already reported that his return was uncertain. He will end up taking another direction: Italy.

The departure was not easy.

“When I arrived in Italy, I encountered difficulties because I did not understand the language. I stayed for a year learning the Italian language to be able to communicate with my ecosystem,” he explains.

A year to learn, adapt, understand your new environment.

Today, Khadim Sarr lives in Piacenza, in northern Italy, and works at Cooperativa San Martino. Created in 1986, this cooperative specializes in various business services, including logistics, handling, packaging, maintenance, cleaning operations as well as services related to fairs and events.

In this new professional world, his former experience as a driver in Senegal is useful to him.

“Before coming to Italy, I had a job in Senegal when I was an active wrestler: driver,” he recalls.

This experience therefore served him well in his new professional life.

“Today I work and I am treated well where I work. I have no regrets about coming here. I can say that I have succeeded in my reconversion. I work in a very large company,” he rejoices.

The contrast with his wrestling career is striking. In the arena, he felt he had never been able to fully exploit his talent. In Italy, he says he found a framework that allows him to work, earn a living and build his future.

“Everything I couldn’t have in my wrestling career, I’ve had since I came to Italy,” he rambles.

Khadim Sarr cites in particular an achievement that is particularly close to his heart.

“In Senegal, I was able to build my own house, very comfortable,” he says happily.

The former wrestler therefore managed to transform a period of disillusionment into a new opportunity. He left the arena and found a stable job and is building a new life.

By Abdoulaye DEMBÉLÉ