Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestler Elmir Aliyev (60 kg) has won a silver medal at the U23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, United States.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Aliyev suffered a 13-4 defeat to Kazakhstan's Aibek Aitbekov in the final, narrowly missing out on defending his world title.
The Azerbaijani wrestler had enjoyed an impressive run to the gold medal match, recording three consecutive victories. He began his campaign with a dominant 8-0 technical superiority victory over Poland's Oliwier Skrzypczak in the round of 16 before defeating Kyrgyzstan's Kubanych Arynov 7-3 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Aliyev overcame Uzbekistan's Mehroj Bakhromov 4-2 to secure his place in the final.
Remarkably, this was Aliyev's second consecutive appearance in a U23 World Championship final. Having claimed the world title in 2025, he was unable to repeat that achievement this year but nevertheless added another major international medal to his collection.
Five more Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestlers competed on the second day of the tournament. Although none reached the final, four remain in contention for bronze medals after their opponents advanced to the championship bouts.
Mazaim Mardanov (130 kg) opened his campaign with an emphatic 10-0 technical superiority victory over Poland's Sebastian Warchol. However, he suffered an 8-0 defeat to Russia's Ali Iliasov in the quarterfinals. With Iliasov subsequently reaching the final, Mardanov earned a place in the repechage.
Orkhan Hajiyev (87 kg) followed a similar path. He defeated Denmark's Frederik Mathiesen 6-5 and Kyrgyzstan's Imur Temirbekov 8-5 before losing 6-2 to Iran's Yasin Yazdi in the quarterfinals. Yazdi's progression to the final kept Hajiyev's medal hopes alive through the repechage.
Aykhan Javadov (63 kg) suffered a narrow 5-3 defeat against Japan's Manato Nakamura, while Ruslan Nurullayev (77 kg) lost 6-1 to Egypt's Mostafa Alameldin. Both Azerbaijani wrestlers received another opportunity to compete after their opponents reached the finals.
Meanwhile, Farid Sadikhli (55 kg) began with a convincing 7-0 victory over Japan's Kohei Yamagiwa but was eliminated in the round of 16 by American Kenneth Crosby. Their bout ended 3-3, with Crosby advancing on criteria.
In the completed medal matches, Farid Khalilov (72 kg) finished fifth after suffering a 10-0 defeat to Türkiye's Ibrahim Ozdemir in the bronze medal contest.
Muhammad Shukurzade (67 kg) also saw his campaign come to an end, losing 7-2 to Georgia's Anri Khozrevanidze in the repechage.
After two days of competition, Azerbaijan have collected one silver medal at the U23 World Championships.
On October 14, Aykhan Javadov, Ruslan Nurullayev, Orkhan Hajiyev and Mazaim Mardanov will return to the mat as they attempt to secure bronze medals for the national team.
The U23 World Wrestling Championships will continue in Las Vegas until October 18. Following the Greco-Roman competition, women's wrestling will take center stage before the tournament concludes with the men's freestyle events.
