BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. Wrestling
competitions continue at the Islamic Solidarity Games taking place
in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Trend reports.
Today, medals were contested in two Greco-Roman and three
women’s wrestling weight categories.
Greco-Roman wrestling
Murad Akhmadiyev (97 kg) confidently advanced through the group
stage, defeating Egypt’s Mohamed Gabra (8-0) and Türkiye’s
Beytullah Kayysdag (5-1). In the final, the Azerbaijani wrestler
lost 1-5 to Olympic and two-time world champion Mohammad Sarawi,
earning a silver medal in his debut appearance at the Islamic
Games.
In the 130 kg category, Beka Kandelaki lost in Group A to
Egypt’s Abdellatif Mohamed (3-4) and Iran’s Fardin Hedayati
(0-8).
Women’s wrestling
In Group A, Zhalya Aliyeva (57 kg) secured early victories over
Tunisia’s Chad Jeldjeli and Bangladesh’s Mim, and also confidently
defeated Elvira Kamaloglu of Türkiye 19-10. In the semifinals,
Aliyeva claimed another quick win, beating Kyrgyzstan’s Sezim
Jumanazarova. In the final, she once again faced Elvira Kamaloglu
and defeated her 6-2 to win her second consecutive Islamic
Solidarity Games gold medal.
In Group B (50 kg), Elnura Mamedova defeated Türkiye’s Zehra
Demirhan (8-5) but lost to Nigeria’s Mercy Geneisi (2-12).
Finishing second in the group, she advanced to the semifinals,
where she was defeated by Uzbekistan’s Aktenga Keunimjaeva (0-10).
In the bronze medal bout, Mamedova overcame Algeria’s Shebila
Sheima 5-0 to claim third place.
Gultekin Shirinova was eliminated in the quarterfinals after
losing 4-11 to Kyrgyzstan’s Aruuke Kadirbekkyzy.
Five more Azerbaijani wrestlers are set to compete tomorrow.
