Havana, November 17 (RHC) – Cuban Geannis Garzón (79 kg) will close out 2025 with a commendable silver medal at the highly competitive Dmitry Korkin Memorial International Freestyle Wrestling Tournament, held in Yakutsk, Russia.
This season, Garzón earned the silver medal at the II Junior Pan American Games in Asunción and a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships in Serbia.
Now, at the tournament honoring the exceptional career of Russian freestyle wrestler Korkin, top European competitors have gathered, especially the most talented and accomplished wrestlers from the host country, a traditional powerhouse in this style.
“The invitation was arranged by a coach from the Russian team that competed in the under-23 world championship, who liked my work on the mat. The Cuban federation accepted, and I was able to participate in this demanding tournament.”
The young man from Santiago really had to dig deep to win his first three fights.
He debuted successfully with a technical superiority (10-0) over the local fighter Ali-Kan Zhirkov, then went on to defeat another local favorite, Dmitri Kupriyanov, 6-4, securing his place in the semifinals in front of everyone.
In his quest for a spot in the title match, he faced a tough opponent in Azerbaijani Dzhabrail Gadzhiev, bronze medalist at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb. With pure speed on the attack, complemented by solid defense, he overcame him 6-3.
In the final, he put up another fight, but ultimately lost 4-8 to Russian Dmitri Kuprin, who had the full support of his home crowd. However, he also received applause for his impressive performance.
