Uzbek wrestlers win silver and two bronzes at 2026 World Championships in Astana

Aytzhan Khalmakhanov won silver in the under-67 kg category. In the final, he lost 0:8 to Iran's Saeid Esmaeili, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion; according to Kursiv Uzbekistan, the Iranian wrestler won early. Before the decisive bout, the Uzbekistani defeated American Otto Black (12:1) and Armenian Slavik Galstyan (4:0). Khalmakhanov won the 2025 World Championships in the under-63 kg weight class before moving up to a heavier category.

Ozodbek Khalimboev (under-63 kg) lost to Armenia's Karen Aslanyan 0:9 in the quarterfinals. His opponent's progression to the final gave him a chance to remain in contention for a medal, and in the third-place bout, Khalimboev defeated Bulgaria's Edmond Nazaryan (7:3). The first medal for Uzbekistan at the tournament was brought by Alisher Ganiev (under-60 kg), who beat a German competitor in the bronze medal bout.

The tournament in the capital of Kazakhstan runs from October 24 to November 1 and includes Greco-Roman, freestyle, and women's wrestling. Uzbekistan entered 27 athletes, nine in each discipline. The Greco-Roman competitions ended on October 27, with bouts for freestyle and women wrestlers still ahead.