Alexandr Gaidarli took bronze at 70 kilograms, freestyle, at the U23 World Championships in Las Vegas. In the bronze final he beat Ukraine's Emrakh Hashymov, 10-0. This is not a senior world title and it is not gold.

Before the semi-final he also won 10-0 against Georgia's Goga Otinashvili, Uzbekistan's Shakhzodbek Yarashev and the American Jordan Williams. Russia's Magomed Eltemirov stopped him. The Moldovan Olympic Committee confirms the list. TV8, citing the Education and Research Ministry, says every win he had at this tournament ended 10-0.

Gaidarli is from Copceac, in Gagauzia. This year he was senior European silver medallist and U23 European champion. Last year he also took U23 world bronze, in Novi Sad. "On the podium again" means a second bronze at the same youth event, not a jump to world gold.

At the same championships Ion Marcu, 74 kilograms, and Eugeniu Mihalcean, 86 kilograms, finished fifth. Close to the podium is not a medal. Their result remains fifth.

The Las Vegas hall closed the 70-kilogram class. Olympic.md issued the statement on 19 October. TV8 repeated the same opponents and the same bronze-final score. It is not an Olympic qualifying announcement.

For Gaidarli the Las Vegas bronze adds a U23 third place beside the one from 2025. It does not, by itself, put him on the senior squad and it is not a continental title. The numbers on the board remain: 70 kilograms, third place, freestyle.

Eltemirov took him out of the semi-final. Who won gold at 70 kilograms is another final, not Gaidarli's bout. Until a senior result, Monday's medal is a youth one.

Image: Matthiasmullie, Las Vegas in daytime, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; the host city, not the U23 hall.

Sources consulted: World result for Moldova: Alexandr Gaidarli on the U-23 podium again - TV8; Alexandr Gaidarli won bronze at the U23 Worlds in Las Vegas - Olympic.md.