Two Armenian wrestlers will compete for the bronze medals of the World Freestyle Wrestling Championship tomorrow.

Today, September 13, the 2025 World Freestyle Wrestling Championship kicked off in Zagreb. Medals were contested on the first day of competition in the weight categories of 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg.

Two athletes represented the Armenian national team on the first day of the tournament: Manvel Khndzrtsyan (61 kg) and Arman Andreasyan (70 kg). On this day, Manvel Khndzrtsyan lost in the 1/8 final to Olympic champion Zaur Uguev (Russia), while Arman Andreasyan was defeated in a hard-fought semifinal by Japan's Yashinosuke Aoyagi.

Manvel showed almost all of his capabilities, advancing through the 1/16 final against an Italian wrestler, but it wasn't enough against Zaur Uguev. The main thing is that the Russian representative reached the final, which means tomorrow Manvel will get a chance in the repechage round and will fight for the bronze medal against the Kazakh wrestler Asylzhan Yessengeldin.

• 1/16 final: Manvel Khndzrtsyan (Armenia) - Simone Piroddu (Italy) 6-1

• 1/8 final: Zaur Uguev (Russia) - Manvel Khndzrtsyan (Armenia) 11-0

Unlike Manvel, Arman was very close to reaching the final. If he had managed to get behind the Japanese wrestler in a controversial moment near the zone, everything could have turned out differently, but alas, it did not happen. After that, Arman rushed to attack and conceded a few more points, ultimately losing the bout. On his way to the semifinal, Arman showed character: first, he defeated the experienced Russian wrestler Viktor Rassadin (competing for Tajikistan), then he comfortably beat Serbia's Viktor Voinovich, and in the 1/4 final, he snatched victory from the Azerbaijani wrestler Kanan Heybatov.

Tomorrow, Arman will face a strong opponent. His opponent will be determined in the repechage round match between Akhmataliyev (Kyrgyzstan) and Musukaev (Hungary).

• 1/16 final: Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) - Viktor Rassadin (Tajikistan) 5-5 (+-)

• 1/8 final: Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) - Viktor Voinovich (Serbia) 4-1

• 1/4 final: Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) - Kanan Heybatov (Azerbaijan) 8-6