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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijani women's wrestler Gunay Gurbanova has reached the final of the U-23 World Championships being held in Las Vegas, USA.

Gunay Gurbanova , competing in the 59kg weight category, defeated Argentina's Camila Amarilla by fall in the semi-finals. She will face Ukraine's Alina Filipovich in the final tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Ruslan Nurullayev, competing in the 77kg weight category, defeated Ukraine's Irfan Mirzoyev 3–1 to claim the bronze medal at the World Championships.

This brings Azerbaijan's medal tally at the U-23 World Championships to two.

Earlier, Elmir Aliyev (60kg) won the silver medal.

Wrestling remains the most widely followed sport in Azerbaijan and is governed by the National Wrestling Federation, established in 1993.

A major turning point in the nation's wrestling legacy came at the Rio Olympic Games, where Azerbaijan distinguished itself as one of only two countries to improve its medal haul across five consecutive Olympic Games.

Azerbaijan also added to its Olympic record at the 2024 Summer Games, securing three bronze medals in wrestling. Hasrat Jafarov reached the podium in the 67 kg Greco-Roman category, while Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg) and Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg) delivered bronze medals in freestyle wrestling.