Azerbaijani wrestlers have claimed medals across all classes at the Turkic Universiade held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, Azernews reports.
Vadat Gasimli (60 kg) won a gold medal, Ali Guliyev (97 kg) claimed silver, while Ramik Heybatov (74 kg) and Javad Mammadov (77 kg) earned bronze medals.
On the final day of the competition, four more Azerbaijani wrestlers reached the podium.
Roman Karimov (67 kg) secured a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, while Ashraf Ashirov (86 kg) and Yusif Dursunov (125 kg) triumphed in freestyle wrestling.
Musa Aghayev (65 kg) also stood out among the freestyle wrestlers, winning a silver medal.
In total, Azerbaijani wrestlers concluded the Universiade with 8 medals: 4 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze.
As a result, the Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling team ranked 1st in the medal standings, while the freestyle wrestling team took 2nd place.
The 3rd Turkic Universiade brought together student athletes from Turkic-speaking countries, including Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the host nation Kyrgyzstan.
Organized under the auspices of the Organization of Turkic States, the Universiade featured competitions in various sports such as wrestling (both Greco-Roman and freestyle), futsal, volleyball, judo, table tennis, and chess.
The main goal of the Universiade was to strengthen cultural and athletic ties among Turkic nations, promote youth engagement, and encourage healthy lifestyles through sport.
In addition to the competing countries, Hungary and Tajikistan participated as observers, highlighting the growing interest in regional cooperation through athletics.
Wrestling remains the most popular sport in Azerbaijan and is governed by the National Wrestling Federation, established in 1993.
The Rio Olympics marked a key moment for Azerbaijani wrestling, as the country was one of just two to increase its medal count in five straight Games.
In 2020, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers placed third in the overall medal standings at the Individual World Cup in Serbia, earning two medals, a silver and a bronze. Russia led the medal table, followed by Turkiye.
The Azerbaijani team also claimed five medals at the Grand Prix in Moscow, winning one gold, two silver, and two bronze. In 2022, Azerbaijani wrestler Osman Nurmagomedov (92 kg) became World Champion in Belgrade, defeating a Russian competitor in the final.
At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Greco-Roman wrestler Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg) and freestyle wrestlers Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg) and Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg) all secured bronze medals for Azerbaijan.
