Azerbaijan's six medals – two gold, two silver and two bronze – at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana may appear to be a respectable result on paper. However, freestyle wrestling head coach Khetag Gazyumov apologized to fans on the final day of the tournament, while Greco-Roman head coach Mohammad Bana admitted he had expected five or six medals from his team and accepted responsibility for the outcome.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the reasons behind both coaches' dissatisfaction become clear when looking beyond the medal count. Astana exposed several problems: Azerbaijan's wrestlers struggle to protect leads in decisive moments, some of the strongest Greco-Roman athletes compete in non-Olympic weight categories, freestyle wrestling continues to fall short of gold, and the younger generation is not yet ready to fill key gaps.
Nine bouts, one recurring problem
Gazyumov's main criticism was clear: "We were particularly disappointed with the performances in decisive bouts."
The statistics support his assessment. Azerbaijani wrestlers lost nine matches in Astana either after holding a lead or by a single point.
Nihat Mammadli led 4-0 in his final before losing 4-8. Gurban Gurbanov surrendered a 6-0 advantage and lost 6-7 after conceding a decisive move in the final 36 seconds. Islam Abbasov was leading eventual world champion Semyon Novikov 5-0 but conceded points in the final 10 seconds to lose 5-6.
Hasrat Jafarov led 5-1 in his bronze medal bout with one minute remaining but eventually lost 5-8. Islam Bazarganov scored 10 points and held the lead in his semifinal before being pinned.
Jafarov also lost his semifinal on last-point criteria after a 1-1 draw. Murad Ahmadiev and Nureddin Novruzov suffered 4-5 defeats, while Arsenii Dzhioev lost the freestyle final 2-3.
The same pattern was evident in the medal matches. Ten Azerbaijani wrestlers reached either a final or a bronze medal bout, but only six secured medals. In freestyle wrestling, three of the five bronze medal matches ended in defeat.
Finalists:
1. Eldaniz Azizli (Greco-Roman, 55 kg) – gold
2. Sanan Suleymanov (Greco-Roman, 77 kg) – gold
3. Nihat Mammadli (Greco-Roman, 63 kg) – silver
4. Arsenii Dzhioev (freestyle, 86 kg) – silver
Bronze medal contenders:
5. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (freestyle, 125 kg) – bronze
6. Ali Tsokayev (freestyle, 92 kg) – bronze
7. Hasrat Jafarov (Greco-Roman, 67 kg) – fifth place
8. Islam Bazarganov (freestyle, 57 kg) – fifth place
9. Jabrayil Hajiyev (freestyle, 79 kg) – fifth place
10. Turan Bayramov (freestyle, 74 kg) – fifth place
After his final, Mammadli admitted that he had rushed his actions and made too many mistakes. Bana, meanwhile, stressed the importance of psychological preparation.
The problem, therefore, appears to lie not so much in technical ability as in match management and the capacity to protect an advantage under pressure.
Strength outside the Olympic program
Only three of Azerbaijan's six medals came in weight categories included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program: Suleymanov's gold at 77 kg, Dzhioev's silver at 86 kg and Meshvildishvili's bronze at 125 kg.
Several of Azerbaijan's leading Greco-Roman wrestlers compete in non-Olympic divisions.
Eldaniz Azizli became a five-time world champion at 55 kg, while Nihat Mammadli competes at 63 kg, two-time world champion Ulvi Ganizade at 72 kg and two-time European champion Gurban Gurbanov at 82 kg.
Of the six Olympic Greco-Roman weight categories, only Suleymanov secured a medal. Azerbaijan's representatives at 87, 97 and 130 kg failed to reach the medal bouts.
Against this background, changes in weight categories appear increasingly likely.
Mammadli could move down to 60 kg, while Gurbanov may test himself at 87 kg. Ali Tsokayev, who won bronze on his World Championships debut, has also expressed his intention to move up in weight. In April, he identified 97 kg as his target category.
That division already features Paris Olympic bronze medalist Magomedkhan Magomedov, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Astana.
For athletes competing outside the Olympic weight categories, changing divisions is not simply an option but a necessary step toward Olympic qualification.
The main challenge will be adapting to a new weight and overcoming domestic competition for places in the national team.
Only ten months remain before the first Olympic qualification opportunity at the September 2027 World Championships.
Freestyle wrestling: Still short of the summit
Azerbaijan's freestyle team finished fourth in the standings with 88 points, but the gap to the leading nations was evident in the color of the medals.
The United States won five gold medals, Russia claimed three and Iran secured two. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, finished without gold for the second consecutive year.
Following the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Gazyumov had already acknowledged that his team had failed to reach the top of the podium.
Azerbaijan won four freestyle medals in Zagreb but only three in Astana.
There were some positive developments. Dzhioev improved from bronze to silver, while Tsokayev claimed a medal on his World Championships debut.
However, Meshvildishvili dropped from silver in 2025 to bronze, while previous bronze medalist Novruzov was eliminated in the round of 16.
Turan Bayramov, a four-time European Championships medalist, once again failed to reach the world podium. His 0-11 defeat in the bronze medal match highlighted the distance separating him from the world's elite.
Greco-Roman wrestling: The gap between European and world success
Azerbaijan's Greco-Roman team finished second behind Iran with 104 points and two gold medals.
However, success at European level has not consistently translated into world medals.
Four-time consecutive European champion Hasrat Jafarov failed to defend his world silver medal from last year, finishing fifth.
Two-time European champion Gurban Gurbanov and 30-year-old Islam Abbasov, who has won five European Championships medals, are still waiting for their first world medals.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Murad Mammadov was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The team's established leaders are either approaching the later stages of their careers or struggling to make the transition from European success to the world podium.
Women's wrestling: Just two victories
Azerbaijan's women's wrestling team managed only two victories throughout the championships.
Jala Aliyeva (57 kg), the 2024 U23 world champion, defeated Hungary's Tamara Dollak in her opening bout.
Ruzanna Mammadova (59 kg) also started with a victory, beating Japan's Natsuki Yamaguchi 5-0.
However, both wrestlers were eliminated in the round of 16. Mammadova lost 5-8 to China's Mengyu Xie, while Birgul Soltanova (65 kg) was defeated in her opening match.
Of the three Azerbaijani women competing in Astana, only Aliyeva participated in an Olympic weight category.
Women's wrestling continues to lag behind the world's leading nations.
Young talent: Promise, but not across every division
Azerbaijani wrestlers won 21 medals across Greco-Roman, freestyle and women's wrestling at age-group World Championships this year, but only one was gold.
The strongest reserves appear to be in the 60 kg and 77 kg Greco-Roman divisions.
Promising names include two-time consecutive U20 world champion Aykhan Javadov, U23 World Championships silver medalist Elmir Aliyev, Ruslan Nurullayev and Javidan Nahmatov.
In women's wrestling, Gunay Gurbanova stands out as one of the most promising prospects. She won silver medals at both the U20 and U23 World Championships this year, as well as bronze at the senior European Championships.
However, the depth of young talent remains questionable in several problematic weight categories.
At this year's U20 and U23 World Championships, Azerbaijan failed to win medals in the 87, 97 and 130 kg Greco-Roman divisions and the 57, 65, 74 and 97 kg freestyle categories.
Nevertheless, differences in age-group weight classifications and the possibility of athletes changing divisions must also be considered.
At the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas, Azerbaijan finished without gold for the first time in three years.
The next ten months will be decisive
The next World Wrestling Championships will take place in Las Vegas from September 11 to 19, 2027, with the first 72 qualification places for the Los Angeles Olympics at stake.
Only medalists in Olympic weight categories will secure qualification places for their countries.
This will be the first of four qualification routes, with the remaining places allocated through the UWW rankings and continental and world qualification tournaments in spring 2028.
Astana demonstrated that Azerbaijan's overall level of preparation remains competitive.
Gazyumov acknowledged this in his assessment: "I would not describe the team's overall preparation as poor, but our athletes failed to make full use of their potential."
That observation captures the challenge facing Azerbaijani wrestling over the next ten months.
The priority is no longer simply to increase the medal count. Azerbaijan must learn to protect leads in decisive moments, redirect its strongest athletes toward Olympic weight categories and develop new contenders where the national team currently lacks depth.
Without progress in these areas, six World Championships medals may offer limited reassurance ahead of Los Angeles 2028.
