Turkmen sambists won two bronze medals on the first day of the World Championships that began in Astana (Kazakhstan).
This large-scale event is being held in Kazakhstan for the second time and has brought together around 470 athletes from 80 countries worldwide, including teams from Russia, Belarus, and refugees competing under a neutral status.
Participants in the world championship are competing for 31 sets of medals in sport and combat sambo among men and women, as well as sambo for blind men in the SVI-1 class (totally blind athletes). Notably, the disciplines of women's combat sambo (in seven weight categories) and blind sambo (in three weight categories) have been included in the World Championships program for the first time in history.
The competitions are taking place at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace. The significance of the event was highlighted by the presence of legendary sambist Fedor Emelianenko at the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Championships, as well as a prize fund totaling USD 311,000. The winners of the world championship receive $4,000 each, silver medalists receive $3,000 each, bronze medalists receive $2,000 each, and gold medalists among the blind receive $1,000 each.
On the first day of the championship, winners and medalists were determined in ten weight categories. Among them, Zarina Abdyrakhmanova, a coach-teacher at the sports school of Ak Bugday etrap under the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Ahal velayat (weight category up to 54 kg), and Gulzada Jorakulieva from the National Federation of Martial Arts of Turkmenistan (up to 72 kg) were awarded bronze medals. Both achieved success in combat sambo competitions.
On her way to the podium, Z. Abdyrakhmanova won her first match, which was a quarterfinal, against Khongorzul Delgersaikhan (Mongolia) with a score of 8:0 but lost in the semifinals to 19-year-old silver medalist of the 2024 World Championships and current champion of Asia and Oceania Gulsevar Urakova (Uzbekistan) with a score of 1:4.
Gulzada Jorakulieva also secured one victory by defeating 20-year-old European vice-champion and bronze medalist of the 2024 World Cup in Armenia Angelina Lysenko (Ukraine) with a score of 4:0 in the quarterfinals, but lost in the semifinals to 29-year-old vice-champion of the 2024 World Championships and three-time World Cup winner Yana Polyakova from Russia with a score of 0:8.
Earlier this year, 31-year-old Zarina Abdyrakhmanova won silver medals at the Asian and Oceania Championships in Macau (China) and at the World Cup in Cholpon-Ata (Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan), while 25-year-old Gulzada Jorakulieva received bronze awards at these same competitions.
The World Sambo Championships continue.
