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.
