Arsen Balayan Reaches the Semifinals of the 2026 Ivan Yarygin Cup

Kaliningrad-based wrestler of Armenian descent Arsen Balayan advanced confidently to the semifinals of the prestigious 2026 Ivan Yarygin Cup, taking place in Krasnoyarsk.

In the 86 kg quarterfinal, Balayan (Kaliningrad Region) claimed a dominant 17:6 victory over Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov of Stavropol Krai, securing an early technical win and a spot in the semifinals.

Balayan’s semifinal bout will take place today. His opponent will be Dagestan’s Ibragim Kadiev. The semifinal matches are scheduled to begin after the finals of the previous weight classes — approximately 20:00 Krasnoyarsk time (16:00 Moscow time).

Balayan’s Road to the Semifinals

Earlier in the tournament, the U23 World Champion showed strong form:

• Victory over Buyanto Shadapov (Buryatia) — 9:2

• Dominant win over Baasansuren Khadbaatar (Mongolia) — 11:0

Ivan Yarygin Cup 2026 — Day 3 Semifinals

Start: ~20:00 (Krasnoyarsk) / 16:00 (Moscow)

74 kg
Zaurbek Sidakov — Anzor Zakuev
Inalbek Sheriev — Timur Bizhoev

86 kg
Artur Naifonov — Arslan Bagaev
Arsen Balayan — Ibragim Kadiev

92 kg
Nyurgun Sergin — Mustafagadzhi Malachdibirov
Askhab Saadulaev — Amanula Gadzhimagomedov

97 kg
Mukhamed-Tagir Khaniev — Ruslan Lelyukaev
Soslan Dzhagaev — Magomed Kurbanov