Today, the 14th World Kurash Championship, which brought together representatives from four continents of the planet - Asia, Africa, Europe as well as South and North America, was completed in triumph at the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the Olympic village of the capital city.

By the results of two days of the competition, Turkmen athletes secured won 15 medals in 15 weight categories - seven men's and eight women's. 

As known, on the first day of the competition, our sportsmen won two gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Dinara Rozykulova (weight category under 63 kg) and Maria Lohova (under 70 kg) rose to the highest step of the podium. The silver medallists were Ayshirin Haydarova (under 48 kg), Aynur Amanova (under 52 kg) and Sanjar Abdyrahmanov (under 90 kg), and bronze medallists were Gulshat Annaeva (under 57 kg), Ruslan Esgerov (under 100 kg) and Sapa Sapaev (over 100 kg).

The remaining seven sets of medals were played on the final day of the 2023 World Championship, in four men's and three women's weight categories. As a result of the competition, the Turkmen team collected three more gold, three silver and one bronze medals today. 

Vepa Avlyakuliev (weight category under 60 kg) brought the third gold medal to the Turkmenistan’s team. In the first round, he won a clear victory over Mohammed Al-Gharrawi (Iraq), in the quarterfinals, he defeated Anil Anil (India), in the semifinals, he defeated Muslimbek Karimov (Tajikistan) and in the final, he defeated Emur Suleimen (Kazakhstan), who was awarded silver. Bronze medals went to Muslimbek Karimov (Tajikistan) and Said Talebi Nia (Iran).

The fourth gold medal in the Turkmenistan team was won by world championship debutant Sabina Kadyrova (under 78 kg), who in the first round already secured a clear victory over Andrea Guillen (Mexico) in the 16th second. Then, in the quarterfinals, she also easily won  Sheetal Sheetal (India), and in the semifinals and finals, in a bitter struggle, she defeated, respectively, bronze medallist Saba Karamali (Iran) and world vice-champion Filura Ergashova (Uzbekistan). Another bronze medal in this weight category was awarded to Chia-Lin Liu (Chinese Taipei). 

The fifth gold medal was obtained for our team by Dayanch Omirov (under 81 kg). On his path to this success, in the first seconds of the fight he defeated Tom Belen Santana (Dominican Republic), and then in turn won Chansik Woo (Republic of Korea), Ramin Ahmadzadeh (Iran), Bekadil Shaimerdenov (Kazakhstan) and rose to the highest step of the podium. Kazakh kurash athlete Bekadil Shaimerdenov won a silver medal, and Iranian Ramin Ahmadzadeh and Umid Esanov (Uzbekistan) won bronze ones. 

Silver medals were awarded to Turkmen sportsmen: Shatlyk Jumanyyazov, Jahan Muhammedova and Sabina Agajanova. 

Shatlyk Jumaniyazov could secure a silver medal in the category under 73 kg, in which Abilkair Maulenin (Kazakhstan) excelled and Niko Tchikaidze (Georgia) and Jaedeog Kwon (Republic of Korea) won bronze ones.  

Jahan Muhammedova rose to the second step of the podium in the weight category under 87 kg, in which Pokizahon Kamoldinova (Uzbekistan) became world champion, and Moldir Nurlanbek (Kazakhstan) and Pargati (India) became bronze medallists. 

Another silver medallist in our team, Sabina Agajanova, six years ago at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, took second place in the jiu-jitsu competition. And now she has become vice-world champion in kurash in the weight category over 87 kg, in which the first ever gold medal in this type of wrestling for the Dominican Republic was won by Audrey Arelis Puello Perez, and bronze medallists were Samriti (India) and Fatemeh Barmaki Kordkolai (Iran). 

Dovlet Khemrakulyev from the Turkmen team (under 66 kg) was awarded a bronze medal. The second bronze medallist in the weight category was Khairandeshi Murodzoda (Tajikistan), silver medallist was Majid Vahid Barimanlu (Iran) and Chori Zoirov (Uzbekistan) became world champion. 

In recent years, Turkmen kurash wrestlers have made a significant achievement. If at the previous world championships in India they won one silver and two bronze medals, now our team has gathered five gold, six silver and four bronze medals. With these indicators, our wrestlers were significantly ahead of other teams in the total number of medals (15), losing in the team competition in the number of gold awards only to the Uzbekistan national team, which had 7 gold and 1 silver and bronze medals each. Top three winners were completed by the Kazakhstan team, whose athletes won one gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

According to experts, such progress in this sport is the result of the fruitful work of coaches Dortkuli Tejenov, who headed men's team in Turkmenistan two years ago, and Shirin Kubaeva, who has been coaching in the national women's team for many years and has created a good kurash school in Lebap velayat. By the way, 14 of 15 medallists at the 2023 World Championship are graduates of the Lebap wrestling school. 

Shirin Kubaeva was a famous athlete in the past. For many years, she had successfully defended the honour of the country on the world sports arena by winning in numerous international competitions. It is noteworthy that in 1997 she successfully graduated from the Turkmen Institute of National Economy with a degree in international economics. For a number of years, Shirin Permanovna combined coaching with work in economic institutions. And only after winning the 2009 Asian Martial Arts Games in Bangkok (Thailand) she finally decided to focus only on coaching. 

“I like coaching. Sport is in my genes,” says Sh. Kubaeva, whose father and great-grandfather were engaged in goresh and won prizes among palvans at weddings.

According to the head coach of women's national team of Turkmenistan, the current success of our wrestlers at the 2023 World Championship is a natural result of the policy pursued by the country's leadership to develop physical education and sports. Thanks to the close attention of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty Hero-Arkadag to the development of this sphere, wonderful conditions have been created in Turkmenistan to train athletes and hold international tournaments. 

It is a great responsibility to host the World Championship. Turkmenistan, once again acting as a host country of major competitions that brought together numerous guests from all over the planet, coped with this task “excellently”! Today, this is the opinion of athletes who arrived in Ashgabat from many countries, their coaches, journalists from the world's leading media, specialized publications and television channels, and representatives of the International Kurash Federation (IKA). 

According to the general opinion of celebrated sportsmen and sports experts, heads of delegations, the Turkmen capital is worthy of hosting world championships in many sports. And for that reason here are all conditions that meet international standards, including ultra-modern sports infrastructure of the Olympic village, the construction of which was patronized by National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov himself. 

For two days, intense emotions did not subside at the Martial Arts Sports Complex; athletes displayed an exciting fight for medals. Nevertheless, despite the intense competition, an interesting rivalry that gave fans a lot of impressions, the unifying principle was the desire for open and trusting communication and friendship. 

It served a wonderful opportunity for Turkmen sportsmen and coaches to be acquainted with the experience of a number of countries and national federations in development of kurash and to gain useful experience for future.

A rich cultural program, which allowed them to be acquainted with the history and rich heritage of Turkmen people, their unique traditions and customs, sights of white marble coated Ashgabat and the first “smart” city of Arkadag in Turkmenistan as well as to taste national dishes, was prepared especially for the guests. 

The present World Championship was a great success. Both athletes and fans got unforgettable impressions from the Ashgabat World Championship, which became possible thanks to the personal attention and support of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag.  

The 2023 World Championship, which presented everyone with a lot of positive emotions and joy, was over. Many have become fans of kurash, as bouts were so exciting and filled with desire to win. 

The success of the present tournament augmented the pride of all Turkmen citizens for their fatherland and once again confirmed the status of Turkmenistan as a sports power that is capable to host and hold competitions of world level.