Four Azerbaijani wrestlers keep bronze medal hopes alive

October 14, 2026

The U23 World Wrestling Championships are continuing in Las Vegas, USA.

On the second day of competition, Greco-Roman wrestling events began in the 55 kg, 63 kg, 77 kg, 87 kg and 130 kg weight categories.

Farid Sadikhli (55 kg) eliminated Japan’s Kohei Yamagiva with a 7–0 victory but lost to the USA’s Kenneth Crosby in the round of 16. The bout ended 3–3, with Crosby advancing on criteria.

Aykhan Javadov (63 kg) lost 3–5 to Japan’s Manato Nakamura in his opening bout. As his opponent advanced to the final, Javadov will compete in the repechage.

Ruslan Nurullayev (77 kg) was defeated 1–6 by Egypt’s Mostafa Alameldin in the qualification round. Since his opponent reached the final, Nurullayev will also have a chance to compete in the repechage.

Orkhan Hajiyev (87 kg) defeated Denmark’s Frederik Mathiesen (6–5) and Kyrgyzstan’s Imur Temirbekov (8–5), but lost 2–6 to Iran’s Yasin Yazdi in the quarterfinals. As Yazdi advanced to the final, Hajiyev will compete in the repechage.

Mezaim Mardanov (130 kg) opened his campaign with a dominant 10–0 victory over Poland’s Sebastian Warchol. However, he lost 0–8 to Russia’s Ali Ilyasov in the quarterfinals. Since Ilyasov advanced to the final, Mardanov will also have a chance to compete in the repechage.