Vazgen Tevanyan Stuns Two-Time World Champion to Reach 2026 World Wrestling Championships Semifinals

On October 29 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Armenia's Vazgen Tevanyan advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in the men's 65 kg category, claiming a sensational victory over one of the tournament's leading favorites, Iran's Rahman Amouzad Khalili.

In the quarterfinal bout, the Armenian wrestler defeated the reigning two-time world champion and 2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist 3-2.

The match was extremely tense, with the outcome decided in the final seconds.

With just four seconds remaining, Tevanyan was trailing 1-2. However, the Iranian wrestler was avoiding active engagement in an attempt to protect his narrow lead. As a result, the referees penalized him for passivity, changing the score in the Armenian's favor to 3-2.

Tevanyan therefore snatched victory in dramatic fashion, eliminating one of the world's strongest wrestlers from gold medal contention.

Tevanyan to Face Shamil Mamedov in Semifinals

The Armenian wrestler will face Shamil Mamedov, representing Bulgaria, for a place in the World Championships final.

This was the 26-year-old Tevanyan's third victory of the tournament. Earlier, he defeated Mongolia's Zeneemeder Byambasuren (9-3) and Kazakhstan's Ossimzhan Dastanbek (2-1).

Vazgen Tevanyan's road to the semifinals at the 2026 World Championships:

• Round of 32: Zeneemeder Byambasuren (Mongolia) — 9-3.

• Round of 16: Ossimzhan Dastanbek (Kazakhstan) — 2-1.

• Quarterfinal: Rahman Amouzad Khalili (Iran) — 3-2.

• Semifinal: Shamil Mamedov (Bulgaria) — upcoming.

Tevanyan is the 2023 European champion and a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships. The Armenian wrestler is now just one victory away from reaching his first senior World Championships final.