Turkmen sambo wrestlers secured six medals of various distinctions at the 49th World Championships held in Astana.
This major tournament in Kazakhstan, with a prize fund of $311,000, attracted around 470 athletes from 80 countries, who competed for 31 sets of medals in sport and combat sambo for men and women, as well as sambo for blind men in the SVI-1 class (totally blind athletes).
Over three days of competition, Turkmen athletes won 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals.
26-year-old Master of Sports Muminjan Arzikulov won a gold medal. He became the world champion in combat sambo in the weight category 71 kg, where 24 athletes competed for medals. On his path to success, he achieved five victories. In the first round, Muminjan won by quality with a score of 4:4 against Andrii Kucherenko, Ukraine, champion of the Europe-2024 and winner of the World Cup-2024 in Yerevan, crushed Sherbek Khujamkulov, Uzbekistan 11:1 in the 1/8 finals, and delivered a significant defeat to Stefan Zuparic, Serbia, champion of the Europe-2022 and World Vice-Champion-2023 5:1 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals Muminjan defeated World Championship bronze medalist-2024 Kurmanbek Zamirbek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan 3:1, and confidently beat Rolan Zinnatov, competing under the flag of the International Sambo Federation (FIAS), Russian Champion-2024 and European Champion-2023, 5:0 in the final.
Muminjan Arzikulov has been practicing sambo wrestling for over ten years. Previously, he specialized in sport sambo, where he won a bronze medal at last year's World Cup in Kyrgyzstan. At this year's World Championships in Kazakhstan he debuted in combat sambo and became a world champion on his first attempt. M.Arzikulov actively combines sports with his work as a sambo coach at the 5th sports school in Garlyk village, Koytendag district of Lebap region.
The silver medalists were Bagul Nuryyeva, a coach and instructor at the 1st sports school of Charjev district of the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Lebap region (combat sambo, 50 kg), and Sabina Agajanova, a coach and instructor at Danew district of the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Lebap region (combat sambo, over 80 kg).
The bronze medal was awarded to Kambar Umarov, a coach and instructor at the 3rd sports school of Charjev district of the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Lebap region (sports sambo, 71 kg). Zarina Abdyrakhmanova, a coach-teacher at the sports school of Ak Bugday district under the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Ahal region (54 kg), and Gulzada Jorakulieva from the National Federation of Martial Arts of Turkmenistan (72 kg) were awarded bronze medals. Both achieved success in combat sambo competitions.
The next jubilee 50th World Sambo Championships will be held in Ashgabat in 2025. At the FIAS Congress held in Astana, delegates also confirmed Ashgabat as the venue for Congress-2025 and voted to extend Vasily Shestakov's term as president of the International Sambo Federation until 2029.
The Turkmen sporty newspaper
