Azerbaijani beach wrestler Nihad Suleymanli took silver in the 80kg category at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, giving Azerbaijan’s team its second medal of the tournament.
The Youth Olympic Games are underway in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. In the final, Nihad Suleymanli could not overcome Senegalese wrestler Marquette Diop and finished the competition in second place.
Earlier, the Azerbaijani wrestler had posted three straight wins in the group stage, beating Algeria’s Kebir Kraleni, India’s Depanshu Kokara and Morocco’s Abdeljalil Benelyasser. In the semi-final, he overcame Greece’s Konstantinos Mourtzilakis to reach the final.
Another Azerbaijani wrestler, Gunel Karimli, also delivered a memorable performance in the 55kg category. In the group stage, she defeated Latvia’s Anastasiya Yakovleva, Guinea’s Mariama Foula Kaba and Morocco’s Rana Lahssini to advance to the semi-final.
In the match for a place in the final, Karimli lost to Senegal’s Elizabeth Diatta, and she was unable to win the bronze medal bout either. She finished the tournament in fifth place.
Judo delivered Azerbaijan’s first gold
On the opening day of the Games, Azerbaijani judoka Ibrahim Talibov won the team’s first gold medal at the “Dakar 2026” Games in the 55kg category.
