Kazakhstan finishes third at Sambo World Championship in Japan

Kazakhstan has taken the third place at 2014 World Sambo Championship held in Narita, Japan on November 21-23, Tengrinews reports citing Vesti.kz. 

Around 550 athletes from 82 countries participated in the championship. The Russian team with 11 medals took the first place followed by Mongolia with 11 medals and Kazakhstan with 10 medals.

Kazakhstan's team won 3 gold, 1 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Arman Ospanov won the gold medal in combat sambo in 68 kilos weight league. He defeated Niyazmurat Shakhmuradov from Turkmenistan with a score of 6:0. The Kazakh athlete won the World Championship for the second year in a row.

Another Kazakh fighter Almaz Suleimenov became the champion in combat sambo in 52 kilos weight categoty after winning over Russian Amyr Bakrasov with a score of 14:1.

Kazakhstan's fighters Oleg Udod (-57 kilos, combat sambo), Ansagan Kusainov (-74 kilos, combat sambo), Yesset Kuanov (-62 kilos), Yedil Usenov (+100 kilos), Ruslan Aushev (+100 kilos, combat sambo) and Assylbek Alkei (-74 kilos) clinched bronze medals.

As for the women’s team of Kazakhstan, Gaukhar Turmakhanova defeated Russian Anna Kharitova in the finals winning the world championship in the 53 kilos weight league. Another representative of Kazakhstan Dildash Kuryshbaeva competing in -68 kilos weight class hauled silver after losing in the finals to Ukrainian Luisa Gainetdinova.

Sambo is a combat sport based on Japanese judo that was first developed in 1930’s Soviet Union to improve hand-to-hand combat abilities of the Soviet Army. After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Russia took the responsibility for spreading sambo around the world. President of Russia Vladimir Putin practices sambo and is Honorary President of FIAS (International Federation of SAMBO).

By Assel Satubaldina