NUR-SULTAN – Nurkhozha Kaipanov won Aug. 4 the silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the Vaclav Tsiolkovsky International Tournament in Warsaw, Poland, reports Olympic.kz. It was the ninth medal Kazakh wrestlers won at the tournament.
Photo credit: olympic.kz.
The Kazakh wrestler lost to Turkish wrestler Haydar Yavuz in the weight category up to 70 kg in the final bout. Kaipanov was called the dark horse of the tournament by Eduard Bazrov, former champion of Russia in freestyle wrestling who trains the Kazakh junior freestyle wrestling team.
“We have already noted experienced fighters and team leaders. But, as for the surprises, Nurkozha Kaipanov who is barely 20 years old is one of them. This year, he won the championship of Kazakhstan and became the youngest winner of the Asian championship in the history of the country. He already had his own style, such a Kazakh school of freestyle wrestling … And it seems to me that Kaipanov can surprise and shine at the World Cup and, in the future, become the leader determining the design of the Kazakh wrestling school,” said Bazrov.
Two more Kazakh athletes, Sayatbek Okasov and Daulet Niyazbekov, competing in the weight category up to 65 kg, won bronze medals. Earlier, in the 97 kg weight category, Alisher Ergali won the gold medal of the competition. Nurislam Sanaev (57 kg), Nurgali Nurgaipuly (92 kg) and Galymzhan Userbaev (79 kg) won silver medals. Eraly Abdrashev (92 kg) and Rasul Kaliev (61 kg) won bronze medals.
Thus, the Kazakh freestyle wrestling team won nine medals at the international tournament in Poland.
Freestyle wrestling at the Polish tournament traditionally tests applicants for the World Cup. Teams from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Kazakhstan, among others, will participate in the tournament. Aryan Tyutrin, Ramiz Gamzatov, Taras Markovich, Andrey Yatsenko, Magomedrasul Idrisov, Gadzhi Nabiev, Valery Andreitsey, Pavel Oleinik, Murazi Mchedlidze and other freestyle wrestlers fought for medals at the Polish tournament.
