Karen Aslanyan Reaches 2026 World Wrestling Championships Final! Galstyan and Tadevosyan to Fight for Bronze
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
On October 26, the semifinals in three weight categories featuring Armenian wrestlers took place at the 2026 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Karen Aslanyan (63 kg) secured an impressive victory to become Armenia's first finalist at the tournament. Slavik Galstyan (67 kg) and Gevorg Tadevosyan (87 kg) lost their semifinal bouts but remain in contention for bronze medals.
Karen Aslanyan Reaches His First World Championships Final
In the 63 kg weight category, Karen Aslanyan claimed an impressive 12-4 victory by technical superiority over World Championships silver medalist Edmond Nazaryan, representing Bulgaria.
The Armenian wrestler demonstrated outstanding technique and aggressive wrestling, ending the bout early through technical superiority.
Aslanyan's statistics at this year's World Championships are particularly remarkable: he has already executed eight four-point throws in just four bouts! His opponents on the road to the final included World and European Championships medalists, as well as an Asian champion.
A touching moment followed the semifinal: Karen raised Edmond Nazaryan's hand, and the two wrestlers shared a warm exchange, demonstrating mutual respect.
This marks Aslanyan's first World Championships final of his career. His previous best result was a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships. The Armenian wrestler is also a five-time European Championships medalist.
In the final, Aslanyan will face Azerbaijan's Nihat Mammadli. The Armenian athlete will compete for his first World Championships gold medal.
Gevorg Tadevosyan Falls to Olympic Silver Medalist
In the 87 kg weight category, Gevorg Tadevosyan faced Iran's Alireza Mohmadipiani, the silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The Iranian wrestler secured a 10-1 victory, preventing the Armenian representative from advancing to the final.
Despite the defeat, Tadevosyan's performance deserves considerable praise. The Armenian wrestler reached the World Championships semifinals for the first time in his career, despite competing in Astana with a knee injury.
On October 27, Tadevosyan will compete in the bronze medal match, with an opportunity to reach the World Championships podium for the first time.
Slavik Galstyan to Fight for His Third World Championships Bronze Medal
In the 67 kg semifinal, Slavik Galstyan faced reigning world champion Aitzhan Khalmakhanov of Uzbekistan.
The bout ended in a 4-0 victory for the Uzbek wrestler.
Interestingly, Galstyan had previously defeated Khalmakhanov at a ranking tournament in Budapest. However, the Armenian was unable to repeat that success on this occasion.
Nevertheless, Slavik still has an opportunity to add another medal to his collection. He has already won two World Championships bronze medals and will fight for his third on October 27.
Armenia Has Three Medal Opportunities
Following the third day of competition at the World Championships, the Armenian national team has secured places in three medal matches:
63 kg: Karen Aslanyan — final against Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan).
67 kg: Slavik Galstyan — bronze medal match.
87 kg: Gevorg Tadevosyan — bronze medal match.
All three bouts will take place on October 27.
After two disappointing opening days, Armenia's wrestlers have managed to turn their tournament around. The national team now has an opportunity to claim three medals, including a gold.