Azerbaijani wrestlers Eldaniz Azizli and Sanan Suleymanov won their semifinal bouts on the opening day of the Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, securing at least silver medals and a place in Saturday’s finals.
The head of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation’s press service, Sarkhan Musali, confirmed that both wrestlers advanced to the final of the world championship after semifinal victories. Eldaniz Azizli, competing in the 55-kilogram category, defeated his Georgian opponent, last year’s world champion, to book his spot in the final. The result marked the fifth time in his career that Azizli has reached the final stage of a world championship.
According to Musali, if Azizli wins his final bout on October 25, he will claim his eighth medal at world championships in the adult category and become the sole leader in Azerbaijani wrestling history with five world titles. He currently holds four gold medals, a tally that already makes him the record-holder. His opponent in the final will be the Iranian wrestler who eliminated him in the semifinal last year.
Sanan Suleymanov, who competes in the 77-kilogram category, reached the final of a world championship for the first time in three years after beating his Iranian rival in the semifinal. It will be the third world championship final of his career. Suleymanov will face a Moldovan wrestler for the gold medal, with the final bouts scheduled for the evening session on October 25.
Two other Azerbaijani wrestlers at the tournament, Murad Mammadov (60 kg) and Gurban Gurbanov (82 kg), were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Because their opponents failed to reach the final, both also lost their chance to compete in the repechage.
More Azerbaijanis set to compete
Three more Azerbaijani wrestlers — Murad Ahmadiyev (97 kg), Sarkhan Mammadov (130 kg) and two-time world champion Ulvu Ganizade (72 kg) — will join the competition on October 25. The following day, October 26, Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg), Nihat Mammadli (63 kg) and Islam Abbasov (87 kg) will begin their first bouts of the championship.
The tournament, held at the Baris Arena in Astana, brings together around 900 wrestlers from 135 countries competing for medals in Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling. The competition runs from October 24 to November 1, marking the second time Astana has hosted a world championship since 2019.
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