Sanshou (≤85 kilograms), Men

Sanshou, also known as sanda, is a combative form of competitive wushu, based in traditional Chinese boxing, involving kicks and grappling techniques. In comparison to the World Championships, only three out of 11 weight classes were held for men.

As had happened in the other two men’s sanshou events, the 2007 World Championship medallists divided the medals. The winner was Muslim Salikhov. An ex-bodyguard of Russian president Vladimir Putin, he had won sanshou world titles in 2005 (≤80 kg) and 2007 (≤86 kg). In the final, his opponent Hossein Ojaghi fought despite suffering from an injury, but the judges stopped the contest as soon as they noticed.