Turkmen sambo wrestlers won seven medals of various denominations at the World Cup that concluded in Yerevan (Armenia). The State committee of Turkmenistan for physical culture and sports informed a «GA» correspondent about this.
The competition took place at the «Gazprom» sports and training complex and brought together more than 289 athletes from 21 countries, who competed for the title of strongest in 33 weight categories in sport and combat sambo, as well as among blind athletes. According to the regulations, each participating country could present two athletes in each weight category.
Following two days of competition, the Turkmenistan team has won 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals.
The highest award in our team was won by Sanjarbek Avazberdiyev. The 21-year-old coach and teacher at the 5th sports school of Dashoguz, part of the Main department of physical culture and sports of the Dashoguz velayat, achieved this success in combat sambo in the 64 kg weight category, in which 12 athletes from 8 countries competed for medals.
In the first fight, Sanjarbek won against 23-year-old 2025 world champion in the 58 kg weight category, Daniel Asekov from Kyrgyzstan – 2:1. Then, in the semi-finals, our sambist defeated the 32-year-old winner of the 2025 World Cup in Tajikistan, Alexander Dontsov (Russia), 3:2, and in the final, he defeated the 21-year-old silver medallist of the 2023 youth and junior world championships, Serik Shadiyar (Kazakhstan), 3:2.
It is noteworthy that last year, at two World Cups in Armenia and Tajikistan, Sanjarbek Avazberdiyev won a silver medal. And now he has risen to the highest step of the podium.
Another medal – a bronze one – was brought to our team in the same weight category in the combat sambo section by 27-year-old coach and teacher of sports school №4 of the Hojambaz etrap of the Main directorate of physical culture and sports of the Lebap velayat, Hakberdi Jumayev. On the way to this success, he scored an early victory over Kalys Koychumankulov (Kyrgyzstan) – 10:0, defeated the European champion-2024 and the vice-world champion-2024 Mayis Nersesyan (Armenia) – 2:1 in the quarterfinals, and lost to silver medalist Serik Shadiyar from Kazakhstan only in the semi-finals. Alexander Dontsov from Russia became the second bronze medallist.
This is also not the first success of Hakberdi Jumayev at major competitions. Last year, at the world championships in Bishkek, he won a silver medal in the 58 kg weight category.
Representatives of combat sambo were also awarded silver medals at the World Cup-2026 in Armenia as part of the national team of Turkmenistan: Ahmet Tanryberdiyev, an employee of the Ministry of national security of Turkmenistan (up to 58 kg), Kerim Kerimov, a 3rd-year student of the Turkmen State institute of architecture and construction (up to 71 kg), Kurbanay Kurbanova, a 2nd-year student of the Turkmen state institute of architecture and construction (up to 50 kg) and a coach-teacher of the sports school №4 of the Charjev etrap The Main department of physical culture and sports of the Lebap velayat Zyba Orunova (up to 65 kg).
The only medal in sport sambo – a bronze one – was won by Atanyyaz Amangeldiyev, a soldier from military unit №1001 named after Malikguly Berdimuhamedov of the Ministry of internal affairs of Turkmenistan, for the Turkmenistan team. He achieved this success in the 88 kg weight category, in which 14 athletes competed. On his way to the podium, Ataniyaz beat Georgiy Kapanadze from Georgia 2:0 and Maxim Yunevichi (Moldova) 2:1, and only in the semi-finals lost to the silver medalist Aznaur Papshuov (Russia) 0:2.
The World cup in Yerevan became the first official tournament in 2026 on the calendar of the International sambo federation (FIAS), the results of which will be taken into account in the world athlete rankings.
