At the U23 World Wrestling Championships taking place in Novi Sad, Serbia, the Kazakh women’s wrestling team won a gold medal for the first time in history, reports Adyrna National Portal.
In the 55 kg weight category, Shugyla Omirbek achieved a historic victory by defeating Turkey’s Tuba Demir, a multiple-time European champion in various age groups, with a score of 12:8 in the final bout.
Throughout the tournament, the Kazakh wrestler also defeated Moldova’s Michaela Simon, the U23 World Championship silver medalist (10:2); Romania’s Alexandra Voicilescu, the Cadet World silver medalist (3:1); and Germany’s Amory Andrich, the U20 European champion (2:0) in the semifinals.
It’s worth noting that since the launch of the U23 World Championships in 2017, no Kazakh female wrestler had ever reached the final until now.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Shugyla Omirbek on her remarkable victory, saying:
“This is a historic achievement, as our country has won a gold medal at such an international competition for the first time. It is encouraging to see young people who achieve success through perseverance and hard work. I wish Shugyla continued triumphs and new heights in her career.”
Looking back at the history of the U23 World Championships, Sultan Asetuly (67 kg, Greco-Roman wrestling) became a world champion in 2023, followed by Rizabek Aitmakhan (97 kg, freestyle wrestling) in 2024.
Before this triumph, Shugyla Omirbek’s best result had been a silver medal at the 2024 U23 Asian Championships held in Jordan.
