Iranians win silver, bronze at World Nomad Games
Iranians won two medals on the first day of action at the World Nomad Games in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday.
Sadeq Azarang settled for silver in the men’s +90kg kurash class, which featured 22 contestants, after suffering a defeat to Uzbekistan’s Nomonjon Radjabov in the final.
An Asian Games gold medalist at Hangzhou 2022, the Iranian defeated opponents from the host country, Russia and Georgia before beating his Turkmen opponent to reach the final.
Mohammad Dehqan, meanwhile, claimed the second medal for the country, winning bronze in guresh – a traditional Turkmen belt-wrestling discipline – after falling short against a Turkmen opponent in the semifinal of his respective weight class.
Iran is represented by 130 athletes at the sixth edition of the multi-sport event, which kicked off with an opening ceremony – attended by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali – at Bishkek Arena on Tuesday and will run until Sunday across three host cities.
Held every two years, the World Nomad Games are dedicated to traditional ethnic sports practiced across Central Asia.