Luis Orta clinched the bronze medal on Tuesday in the 67-kilogram category of Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2026 Senior World Championships in Astana. He defeated Armenian wrestler Slavik Galstyan with a score of 10-6 in the battle for third place.
Orta's journey to the podium was not straightforward. On Monday, he faced a setback in the quarterfinals, losing to Uzbek wrestler Aytjan Khalmakhanov by 4-6. This match slipped away from him right from the first period. Nonetheless, when Khalmakhanov advanced to the finals, the UWW rules allowed a repechage for all competitors who had lost to a finalist.
Seizing this second chance, Orta triumphed over American wrestler Otto Black with a score of 7-4, as reported by USA Wrestling, which hailed Orta as an "Olympic and world champion." After clearing this hurdle, the Cuban wrestler faced Galstyan once more, decisively beating him to earn a place on the podium.
This victory over the Armenian has historical context: during the Paris 2024 Olympics, Orta had also lost in the quarterfinals—against the same Saeid Esmaeili, with a score of 0-9—before bouncing back through the repechage to claim Olympic bronze, again defeating Galstyan, that time by 7-0. The pattern repeated in Astana, albeit with a narrower margin.
The gold medal in this category went to Iran's Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi, who outclassed Khalmakhanov with a technical superiority score of 8-0 in the final. The other bronze medal was claimed by Kazakh wrestler Bagdat Sabaz, who won 8-5 against Azerbaijani Hasrat Jafarov.
Orta's achievements place him among the most accomplished Greco-Roman wrestlers of his generation. He captured the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 in the 60 kg category, claimed the world title in Belgrade 2023—where the UWW named him the top Greco-Roman wrestler worldwide—earned Olympic bronze in Paris 2024, and took world bronze in Zagreb 2025.
The year 2026 had been inconsistent for the Cuban athlete; in March, he suffered a 9-0 defeat to Khalmakhanov in the Professional Wrestling League in Tashkent, and in July, he missed the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo due to an arbovirus infection.
Cuba entered the Astana World Championships with a team of nine wrestlers, aiming to improve on the 27th place finish from Zagreb 2025, where Orta was the sole medalist for the team. The bronze medal secured this Tuesday at the Barys Arena in Kazakhstan's capital marks the first confirmed medal for the Cuban delegation in this edition of the championship, which continues until November 1.
Key Highlights from the Astana Wrestling Championships
What was Luis Orta's path to winning the bronze medal?
Luis Orta initially lost in the quarterfinals to Aytjan Khalmakhanov but was given a second chance through the repechage, defeating American Otto Black and Armenian Slavik Galstyan to secure the bronze.
How did Luis Orta perform in prior major competitions?
Luis Orta has a remarkable record, with an Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020, a world title in Belgrade 2023, and bronze medals from the Paris 2024 Olympics and Zagreb 2025 World Championships.
Who won the gold medal in the 67 kg Greco-Roman category at Astana?
The gold medal was claimed by Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi of Iran, who defeated Aytjan Khalmakhanov with a score of 8-0.