Translation From Adygea to Indonesia: Zaur Tlebzu's Historic Medal and the Rise of Sambo on the World Stage

At the World Junior Sambo Championships, Zaur Tlebzu, a second-year student in the Pharmacy and Social Work Department at Maikop State Humanitarian and Technical College of Adyghe State University, won a bronze medal representing the Jordanian national team.

The World Youth Sambo Championships took place in Bogor, Indonesia. This was the first time the country had hosted such a large-scale sporting event, and it became a significant milestone for the development of Sambo in Southeast Asia. Over 370 athletes from 34 countries participated in the competition. Medals were awarded in sport and combat Sambo, in two age categories: 16-18 and 18-20. 

Russian sambo wrestlers, competing under the flag of the International Sambo Federation, led the medal count, earning a total of 34 medals—28 gold, four silver, and two bronze. Teams from Kazakhstan and Belarus finished second and third overall. Zaur Tlebzu, representing the Jordanian team, secured the only medal for his country.

Zaur was born in Jordan, and in 2015, he and his family moved to his ancestral homeland of Adygea. Since then, he has been training in Maykop at the Ya. K. Koblev Judo Sports School of Olympic Reserve, where Salim Basto is his permanent coach. His primary focus is judo, but the young wrestler is also capable of competing in sambo. The invitation to compete for the Jordanian national team came from the Jordanian Sambo Federation and was supported by the local Adyghe diaspora. In April, Zaur qualified for the World Junior Championships after winning silver at the Asia-Oceania Championships. As his coach explained, this was the first world-class success in Zaur's athletic career and, according to the Jordanian Sambo Federation, the country's first medal in the sport's history.

Photo: Salim Basto Archive

"It's especially gratifying that it's not just medals but also a historical contribution. This tradition was probably established by Yakub Kamboletovich Koblev, the founder of the Astrakhan State University Institute of Physical Culture and Judo, and the legendary Maikop Wrestling School. His students' achievements have always been significant in sporting terms and historically unique. It's a great honor to continue this tradition and achieve this result, especially on the school's sixtieth anniversary," said the athlete's coach, Salim Basto

According to him, Zaur Tlebzu is also successfully competing in Russia. This year, he became the adult and junior judo champion of the Republic of Adygea. His coach is now setting the goal for the wrestler to make the Russian national team.