Tabaldiev competed in the weight category up to 70 kilograms, starting from the 1/8 finals of the tournament.
In his first match, he achieved a premature victory over his compatriot Rustam Kakhrov. Then, in the next round, he also won prematurely against Bulgarian wrestler Kaloyan Atanasov, which allowed him to advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately, in the semifinals, Zalkarbek lost to American athlete Alec William Pontaléo.
The bronze medal match was supposed to take place against Mexican wrestler Austin Kli Gomez; however, he had to withdraw due to injury. As a result, Zalkarbek Tabaldiev became the bronze medalist of the tournament.
