Ukrainian wrestler Alpieieva brings Ukraine first gold of 2026 World Championships

Ukrainian athlete Anastasiia Alpieieva has won gold at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships, which are currently taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan.

In the final of the under 76 kg weight category, she was close to losing to India's Kajal Dhochak. However, thanks to a decisive move in the final moments, she took her opponent down to the mat and secured an 8:6 victory.

On her way to the final bout, Alpieieva defeated Belarusian Anastasiya Zimiankova 8:1 in the round of 16, overpowered American Dymond Guilford 6:4 in the quarter-finals, and crushed Turkish wrestler Kadriye Aksoy Koçak 11:0 in the semi-finals.

Background:

• Alpieieva's gold is Ukraine's first medal at the 2026 World Championships in Astana, which run from 24 October to 1 November.
• The Greco-Roman wrestling competitions concluded the day before, with Ukraine failing to win any medals. Yaroslav Filchakov came close to securing a bronze in the under 87 kg weight category but lost to Armenia's Gevorg Tadevosyan due to a controversial refereeing decision, which was criticised by Hennadii Nikolaichuk, Vice President of the Kyiv Boxing Federation.

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