Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan's Tural Ahmadov has won a bronze medal, while Javidan Nehmatov has claimed silver at the 2026 U20 World Wrestling Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, AzerNEWS reports.

The first medals in Greco-Roman wrestling were awarded on the second day of the competition.

Competing in the 63kg weight category, Tural Ahmadov secured his place on the podium after defeating Finland's Matias Arpiaynen 8–0 in the repechage bout. In the evening session, Ahmadov faced Ecuador's Klizman Velis in the bronze-medal match and prevailed 2–1 in a closely contested bout to win the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Cavidan Nehmatov competed in the 77kg category and reached the final, where he faced Armenia's Samvel Terteryan. The bout ended 1–1, with Terteryan awarded the victory under the first-point rule.

As a result, Nehmatov finished the tournament with a silver medal, giving Azerbaijan two medals in Greco-Roman wrestling on the second day of the 2026 U20 World Wrestling Championships.

Wrestling holds a prominent place in Azerbaijan's sporting culture and is overseen by the National Wrestling Federation, which was established in 1993.

The country has built an impressive record in wrestling at major international events. At the Rio Olympics, Azerbaijan was among just two nations to improve its medal haul at five successive Olympic Games.

Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers also delivered a strong performance at the 2020 Individual World Cup in Serbia, securing one silver and one bronze medal. Their results helped Azerbaijan finish third in the overall medal standings, behind Russia and Turkiye.

At the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Osman Nurmagomedov captured the 92kg freestyle title after defeating a Russian opponent in the final.

Azerbaijan continued its Olympic success at the Paris 2024 Games, where its wrestlers collected three bronze medals. Hasrat Jafarov took bronze in the 67kg Greco-Roman category, while Giorgi Meshvildishvili and Magomedkhan Magomedov finished third in the 125kg and 97kg freestyle events, respectively.

The country has also established itself as an experienced host of international wrestling competitions. Baku, Ganja and other Azerbaijani cities have staged European and World Championships as well as youth tournaments, offering modern sporting facilities and venues capable of accommodating athletes from around the world.