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Kazakh Wrestler Zhamila Bakbergenova Secures Bronze at World Wrestling Championships

By Vusala Abbasova September 23, 2023

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Competing in the 72 kg weight category, Zhamila Bakbergenova is not only a World Championship medalist but also Kazakhstan's first three-time Asian champion in wrestling.

The 27-year-old wrestler Zhamila Bakbergenova clinched the bronze medal at the annual World Wrestling Championships, an event organized by United World Wrestling.

Leading her national team, Bakbergenova secured her spot on the podium by triumphing in the third-place match against Poland's Natalia Strzalka with a resounding score of 4-1 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Bakbergenova's journey to the podium began in the 1/8 finals, where she delivered an impressive victory against Serbia's Fann Nagy Nad, a bronze medalist. She continued her winning streak by defeating Russia's Ksenia Burakova with a 7-1 score. However, Bakbergenova faced a tough challenge in the semifinals and was ultimately bested by Davaanasan Enkh Amar from Mongolia.

Competing in the 72 kg weight category, Zhamila Bakbergenova is not only a World Championship medalist but also Kazakhstan's first three-time Asian champion in wrestling. Her impressive collection of continental championship medals includes three golds, one silver, and now, one bronze.

Bakbergenova is gearing up for the 19th Asian Games in China. In Hangzhou, she will step into the shoes of the experienced Elmira Syzdykova and compete in the Olympic weight category under 76 kg.

The Wrestling World Championships will be the 18th edition of its kind since 2003 when the organizers united three different wrestling tournaments: the men's Greco-Roman wrestling tournament, the men's freestyle wrestling tournament, and the women's freestyle championships.

Belgrade, which hosted the 2022 World Championships with grand success, is holding the World Championships for the second straight year. It is scheduled to be held from September 16 to 24, 2023, in Belgrade.

The World Championships were initially scheduled to be held in Russia, but due to the International Olympic Committee's recommendation for sanctions on the nation, it became ineligible to host.

Wrestlers will have a chance to win 90 quotas for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Belgrade Worlds. Any nation that participated in the 2023 continental championships will be eligible to participate in the World Championships.