Turkmen freestyle wrestler Alp Arslan Begenjov has won a bronze medal at the recently concluded U20 World Wrestling Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. The third-year student at the Turkmen State Institute of Finance achieved this success in the 86 kg weight category, where 25 of the world’s strongest young athletes competed for medals.
On his way to the podium, our compatriot wrestled five bouts and secured four convincing victories. At the start of the tournament, Alp Arslan defeated China’s Bolati Na Ertai by a score of 10–0. He then comfortably overcame Egypt’s Yahia Eliwa in the round of 16, 16–5, before leaving Azerbaijan’s Mahammad Abaszada no chance in the quarterfinals, winning 14–1. After losing a closely contested semifinal to Russia’s Akhmad Mukutov, 4–8, Begenjov brilliantly bounced back in the bronze-medal bout, defeating Turkish wrestler Sefa Cesur 9–2.
The second bronze medal in this weight category went to Japan’s Natsura Okazawa, who defeated Askhab Khajiyev of Kazakhstan 10–0. The world champion was American Aeoden Sinclair, who defeated Russian wrestler Akhmad Mukutov 8–4 in the final.
Following the medal ceremony, our athlete thanked the supporters for their encouragement throughout the tournament.
“Many thanks to everyone who cheered for me and supported me. We felt your support even from a distance… Our biggest victory is still ahead,” said A. Begenjov.
A Master of Sport of International Class, Alp Arslan Begenjov turned 20 on August 8 and is considered Turkmenistan’s leading hope in wrestling during the new Olympic cycle. Two years ago, at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, he caused a major sensation by winning Turkmenistan’s first-ever gold medal in this Olympic sport at a competition of such a high level. Last year, at the same world championship in Samokov, Bulgaria, Alp Arslan reached the quarterfinals, where he narrowly lost to Iran’s Mahdi Mohammad Yousefihajivar, 4–6. He has now added a bronze medal to his collection.
Earlier, in 2024, A. Begenjov also won gold at the U20 Asian Championships in Thailand. In 2025, he claimed silver at the U23 Asian Championships in Vietnam and bronze at the U20 Asian Championships in Kyrgyzstan.
For the past two years, Alp Arslan competed in the 79 kg weight category, but in 2026 he moved up to a new weight class — 86 kg. As it turned out, the transition has been highly successful. In April 2026, he won bronze at the Senior Asian Championships in Bishkek, becoming the first Turkmen freestyle wrestler to win a medal at this tournament. In May of the same year, he captured his first U23 Asian Championship gold medal in Da Nang, Vietnam, without conceding a single point to his opponents. A. Begenjov’s latest bronze-medal success at the U20 World Championships in Bratislava is yet another confirmation of his outstanding ability and consistency on the international stage.
