Athletes representing Turkmenistan’s national team won four medals at the 50th World Sambo Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Turkmen competitors finished the tournament with two gold and two bronze medals.

A total of 508 athletes from 101 countries took part in the anniversary World Championships. Over three days, 33 sets of medals were contested in men’s and women’s sport sambo, combat sambo and sambo for visually impaired athletes. The overall prize fund amounted to US$363,000.

One of the notable events of the championships was the first-ever sambo competition for visually impaired women in the SVI1 category in the history of the International Sambo Federation (FIAS). The initiative aimed to expand the inclusive approach to the sport.

All the medals won by Turkmenistan’s team came in combat sambo. Under the competition regulations, gold medallists received US$4,000 each, silver medallists US$3,000, and bronze medallists US$2,000.

Sanjarbek Avazberdiyev — World Champion

On the opening day of the championships, 21-year-old Sanjarbek Avazberdiyev from Dashoguz Province won gold and became world champion. The first-year student at the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports, who holds the title of Master of Sport of International Class, achieved the best result among 18 competitors in the under-64 kg weight category.

Muminjan Arzykulov — Second Gold Medal

On the second day of the competition, 28-year-old Muminjan Arzykulov also claimed a gold medal. He became world champion in the under-71 kg category, finishing ahead of the other competitors in a field of 27 athletes.

Muminjan Arzykulov, a Master of Sport of International Class, combines his athletic career with coaching. He works as a coach at Sports School No. 5 in the settlement of Garlyk, Köýtendag District, under the Main Department of Physical Education and Sports of Lebap Province.

Ahmet Tangryberdiyev — First World Championship Bronze Medal

Ahmet Tangryberdiyev, a member of Turkmenistan’s national team, won bronze in the under-58 kg category. The 31-year-old Master of Sport of International Class competed against 15 other athletes in this division.

In his opening bout, he defeated Ukrainian wrestler Vladyslav Kyrylyuk, the bronze medallist at the 2026 European Championships, by a score of 4:0. In the next round, he secured a 9:0 victory over Armenian athlete Narek Goginyan, a two-time medallist at the World Cup and the 2026 European Championships.

In the semifinal, Ahmet Tangryberdiyev lost 0:5 to Mongolia’s Bayanduuren Gantumur, a three-time world champion. As a result, the Turkmen athlete claimed the bronze medal at the World Championships. It was the first World Championship medal of his sporting career.

Among Ahmet Tangryberdiyev’s previous achievements are a victory at the 2025 World Cup in Tajikistan and a silver medal at the 2026 World Cup in Armenia.

Gurbanay Gurbanova — Bronze Medallist

Gurbanay Gurbanova, a 21-year-old Master of Sport and third-year student at the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction, won bronze in the under-50 kg category. Ten athletes competed in this weight division.

In the bout for the bronze medal, Gurbanay faced Ukraine’s Yuliia Zasulska and secured an early victory with a score of 10:1. In the semifinal, she was defeated by Kazakhstan’s Zhadira Paiz, who later went on to win the silver medal.

Thus, Gurbanay Gurbanova also claimed the first World Championship medal of her career. Earlier this year, she won a silver medal at the World Cup held in Yerevan.

The results achieved by Turkmenistan’s sambo athletes at the tournament added to the national team’s record of success on the international stage. As the final part of the source report was not provided in full, information about the medals won at last year’s World Championships in Bishkek has not been included in this article.