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Russian sambo wrestlers win four gold medals at World Martial Arts Games

The tournament will last until October 26

Photo ITAR-TASS/Valery Sharifulin

Photo ITAR-TASS/Valery Sharifulin

ST PETERSBURG, October 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s sambo wrestlers won four gold and one bronze medals at the World Martial Arts Games in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

Russia won its first gold at the World Martial Arts Games after Elena Bondareva, two-time world champion, silver medallist at the Mixed Martial Arts European Championship in Italy and gold medallist at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan triumphed in women’s 48 kg sambo wrestling. Marina Mokhnatkina (68 kg), champion of the 2013 Summer Universiade, won Russia’s second gold on Friday.

Two gold medals from Ali Kurzhev (74 kg) and Yevgeny Isayev (100 kg) and a bronze medal from Nadezhda Zaitseva (56 kg) highlighted the second day of the tournament.

“This is a very good result,” Russian sambo team coach Dmitry Troshkin said. “Everything went just how we had planned. Three years ago at the first World Martial Arts Games in Beijing sambo wrestlers competing at the end of the tournament helped the national team to win in the total medal count. Now sambo wrestlers were the first to win medals, giving a good start for the Russian team in St. Petersburg.”

For two days of the World Martial Arts Games Russia has won eight gold, two silver and seven bronze medals. Japan comes second (4-1-1) and Ukraine - third (1-4-5).

The tournament will last until October 26.

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