MEDALS WITHOUT SHINE

From September 14 to 21, the World Wrestling Championships took place in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb – a tournament that brought mixed results for Azerbaijan’s national team. While the performance of the Greco-Roman wrestlers could be deemed satisfactory, the other squads, unfortunately, fell short of expectations.

Women’s team – no surprises

Under the guidance of acting head coach Toghrul Asgarov and coach Hasrat Mammadyarov, the women’s team was represented by Jala Aliyeva (57 kg), Günay Gurbanova (59 kg), and Birgül Soltanova (62 kg). All three left the competition without medals. Since the retirement of multiple-time world and European champion Maria Stadnik – the long-time leader of the team – Azerbaijan’s chances in women’s wrestling have significantly diminished. Currently, the country lacks female athletes of world-class calibre, and any success at major tournaments tends to be perceived as a surprise. Unfortunately, Azerbaijani women wrestlers are still struggling to compete at the top level: the best they can usually achieve is the second stage of the competition.

Freestylers without gold

The greatest hopes were pinned on the freestyle team. However, they returned from Zagreb with just one silver and three bronze medals. Traditionally, many top athletes take a break after the Olympics, which often gives others a chance to shine. Yet even in the absence of several leading rivals, Azerbaijan’s freestyle wrestlers failed to claim gold. On paper, four medals might seem a decent outcome, but for a nation that proudly calls itself a "land of wrestlers", the lack of a gold medal is a serious concern. The last time an Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler won gold at the World Championships was in 2017, when Haji Aliyev triumphed in Paris. Since then, no Azerbaijani has managed to reach the top of the podium.

Particular attention should be paid to the bronze medals of Nuraddin Novruzov (61 kg) and Arsenii Tsioev (86 kg). For both, these were their first medals at the adult World Championships – a promising sign for the future. The experienced Osman Nurmagomedov (92 kg) demonstrated his trademark consistency, earning a medal for the fourth consecutive time, once again bronze. As Osman later admitted to journalists, he was not fully fit for the Zagreb championships, having fallen ill during the final training camp and unable to complete his recovery.

The best result came from heavyweight Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg). The Olympic medallist and European champion reached the final unbeaten but lost to Iran’s Amir Hossein Zare, taking silver. For the seasoned Iranian, this victory marked his third world title.

Jabrail Hajiyev (79 kg) lost early on but managed to fight for bronze, ultimately finishing fifth. Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg) suffered a serious injury in a bout against an Indian opponent and was forced to withdraw. In the team standings, Azerbaijan’s freestyle squad placed fourth.

The national team’s head coach, Khetag Gazyumov, admitted that the final outcome could not be considered satisfactory and emphasised the need to nurture a new generation of wrestlers: "Much depends on the generation. There was a time when Gadji Aliyev and Toghrul Asgarov shone. We must now raise a new generation of wrestlers so that in the coming years we can once again become champions. We are doing everything necessary to make that happen and hope to see new world champions in the future."

Heroes of Greco-Roman wrestling

By contrast, the Greco-Roman wrestling team delighted Azerbaijani fans by winning four medals – one gold, one silver, and two bronze. In the 67 kg category, team leader Hasrat Jafarov lost in the final to Iran’s Said Ismaili (1:2), taking silver. In the 97 kg division, Murad Ahmadov secured bronze.

Four-time world champion Eldaniz Azizli (55 kg) added yet another bronze to his collection, setting a new Azerbaijani record: he now holds seven World Championship medals (four gold and three bronze). With this achievement, the team captain has surpassed even the legendary Maria Stadnik, who earned six world medals.

The true hero of the tournament, however, was 26-year-old Ulvi Ganizade (72 kg). In the final, he defeated France’s Ibrahim Ghanem (4:2) to claim his second world title. His career tally now includes a silver medal from the 2022 World Championships and the 2023 European Champion title. Sharing his emotions after the final, Ganizade said: "Before the competition, I truly believed I could win gold. I hope to become world champion for a third time. The final is always the key bout of the tournament. I’ve faced this opponent before – in the 2023 European Championship final and again in last year’s World Championship final. He’s my toughest rival. I’ve beaten him three times, and I hope I can do it again."

In the end, Azerbaijan’s Greco-Roman team finished second in the overall standings with 89 points, behind Iran, which topped the table with 180 points. Uzbekistan placed third with 72 points.