Kurbayev wins Kazakhstan's 1st medal at World Wrestling Championships in Astana
Greco-Roman wrestler Iskhar Kurbayev of Kazakhstan has won a bronze medal at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Sports Development Directorate.
It is the national team's first medal at the tournament.
Competing in the 55 kg weight class, Iskhar Kurbayev finished third. In the bronze medal match, the Kazakh wrestler defeated India's Lalit Lalit.
The two wrestlers met in the summer in a bronze medal match at the Budapest Ranking Series 2026. Iskhar Kurbayev also won that time, 18-10.
Kurbayev began his run at the championships with a win over Japan's Kagetora Okamoto. In the round of 16, he defeated Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Botirov, and in the quarterfinals he confidently beat European champion Artiom Deleanu of Moldova.
Iskhar Kurbayev, 23, previously won the U23 Asian Championships and the U20 World Championships, and claimed silver at the U23 World Championships.
Earlier, Elena Rybakina captured her second straight WTA 500 crown at the Ningbo Open.