At the competition held on November 20 in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Meerim Jumaanazarova performed confidently in the under 68 kg category, demonstrating superiority over her opponents.
In her first match in the quarterfinals, the athlete from Kyrgyzstan quickly dealt with Halima Akter from Bangladesh, eliminating her from the tournament. Then, in the semifinals, Jumaanazarova achieved a premature victory, defeating Nigar Mirzazada from Azerbaijan with a score of 12:1.
The final match for the Kyrgyz wrestler was against Svetlana Oknaazarova from Uzbekistan, where she left no chances for her opponent, finishing the bout with a final score of 11:0 and winning gold.
This award is the first for Meerim since the Olympic Games in Paris, where she won silver and brought Kyrgyzstan a second place. With the victory in Riyadh, the country now has three gold medals at these Games: earlier, champions were Akjol Mahmudov and Abdumalik Karachov.
For Jumaanazarova, this is not her first victory at the Islamic Games, as she already won gold in Turkey in 2021. In the current season, the athlete participated in the World Championship in Serbia but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Thus, the victory in Saudi Arabia marked a significant return for her to the international arena.
