In Day 2 of the Riyadh 2023 World Combat Games, athletes from Sumo and Wushu showcased their skills alongside their peers from Karate, Boxing, and SAMBO at the King Saud University Arena and Sports Hall.
Sumo, always a crowd favorite, saw Team Ukraine excel, taking five of the six gold medals available and three silver medals. Sviatoslav Semykras, Olena Nikitinska, Karyna Kolesnik, Vazha Daiauri, and Ivanna Berezovska claimed victories in their respective weight categories, while Oleksandr Veresiuk secured a silver.
Wushu featured Taolu, choreographed routines, with Ziwen Wang winning the Women’s Changquan final and Bijay Sinjali taking gold in the men’s category. Other Wushu categories will be decided on Day 3.
Karate concluded its two-day competition with medals awarded in six Kumite weight categories. Greece's Konstantina Chrysopoulou, Ukraine's Elina Sieliemienieva, and Montenegro's Milena Jovanovic secured gold in the women's categories, while Turkey's Omer Faruk Yurur, Morocco's Mehdi Sriti, and Sanad Sufyani from Saudi Arabia took gold in the men's categories.
In Boxing, athletes from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates participated. The host country, Saudi Arabia, claimed the most medals overall, with Team Bahrain collecting the most gold medals.
SAMBO concluded its run with medals awarded in the Mixed Team Competition. Team Europe 1 won gold, Team Asia Oceania 2 took silver, and Europe 2 and the Pan American Teams received bronze.
The World Combat Games featured para athletes, with Elder Luis Moreno Garcia of Venezuela making history as the first para athlete to win a gold medal. Results from the para competitions will be combined with those of able-bodied athletes in a unified medals table.
In total, over 1,500 athletes from 120+ countries are competing in 16 martial arts and combat sports at Riyadh 2023. The competition continues with Judo, Wrestling, Ju-Jitsu, Aikido, Kickboxing, and Fencing, with other sports to follow in the final days of the event.
