US Wrestler Disqualified for Poking Russian Rival's Eye Twice as Injured Opponent Insists She Can Fight With One Eye

Russian wrestler Elizaveta Smirnova said she 'could have wrestled with one eye' after American Morgan Turner was disqualified following two eye-poke incidents at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Smirnova was awarded victory in their women's 50 kg round-of-16 bout on 27 October 2026, but doctors ruled her unfit to continue.

The result ended both wrestlers' runs in the tournament and changed the quarter-final draw. Smirnova's medical withdrawal gave India's Neelam Sirohi a walkover before the Indian wrestler won her semi-final to reach the gold-medal match.

Smirnova Wanted to Continue With One Eye Bandaged

Smirnova said the contact affected both eyes and that she believed a bandage would have allowed her to keep wrestling. The competition doctor did not clear her to return to the mat.

'The American poked me first in the right eye, then in the left,' Smirnova said. 'The doctors said nothing needed stitches.'

'And I think I could have wrestled,' she continued. 'If they'd bandaged it, I could have wrestled with one eye.'

'But the official competition doctor didn't allow me to compete because he's afraid of complications,' Smirnova added.

This was her description of the doctor's reasoning, rather than a statement issued by the medical official.

Team Physician Reports Corneal Injury

Russian women's team physician Gayane Gevorgyan said Smirnova had suffered a corneal injury and was taken to hospital. 'Doctors decided to withdraw her from the competition,' she said.

The quotations appeared in a published match account, which attributed Gevorgyan's comments to Russian Wrestling Federation reporting.

The physician's diagnosis is distinct from Smirnova's belief that she could compete, and the account provides no long-term prognosis.

Turner's Comeback Ends in Disqualification

Turner initially led 2–0 before Smirnova moved ahead and established a 6–3 advantage at the break. USA Wrestling's match notes describe an exchange early in the second period that left Smirnova leading 8–5.

Turner's corner successfully challenged an unscored action, adding two points and reducing the deficit to 8–7. An eye-poke caution then moved the score to 9–7, with officials disqualifying Turner after a lengthy delay.

Turner Wins Opener Without Conceding

USA Wrestling records the disqualification at 4:31, equivalent to one minute and 29 seconds remaining on the match clock. Turner had reached the last 16 with a 5–0 victory over Cuba's Greili Bencosme Carvajal.

The official results list Turner as a Chicago athlete affiliated with All I See Is Gold Academy and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Her tournament finished with an opening victory followed by the disqualification against Smirnova.

Smirnova's Withdrawal Changes the Medal Draw

Sirohi advanced through the quarter-finals without wrestling Smirnova, then defeated Kazakhstan's Zeinep Bayanova 7–3 in the semi-finals.

United World Wrestling's account confirms that she became the second Indian woman to reach a senior World Championships final, following Anshu.

Japan's Yui Susaki reached the other side of the final after beating China's Ziqi Feng 9–0. Sirohi's progression therefore included a contested semi-final victory after the medical withdrawal had given her a quarter-final walkover.

'I'm feeling fine now, but I'm very upset,' Smirnova said after being prevented from continuing. 'I felt like I should have won the gold medal, but I got poked in the eye.'

The reviewed coverage contains no response from Turner and does not establish whether the eye contact was deliberate. It also does not confirm further disciplinary action, so the disqualification should not be described as a wider suspension or ban.