Azerbaijan could not have asked for better preparation for the senior European Championships. It won four gold and three silver at the U23 European Championships to claim the freestyle team title to make a serious statement before Budapest.
Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) and Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) were the two stars Sunday as they won the gold at 74kg and 86kg respectively, further establishing themselves as big names in the two Olympic weight classes.
Abakarov, who won a bronze medal at the Oslo World Championships, needed only 42 seconds against Lilian BALAN (MDA) to win 10-0. A combination of arm trap and gut-wrench helped him to win the gold with ease but he is looking at the bigger picture.
Turkey also won two gold medals but finished eight points behind Azerbaijan in the team race with 151 points. Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) defeated Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA), 4-1 in the 61kg final while Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) beat Joshua MORODION (GER), 10-0 in the 92kg final.
The fifth gold of the night went to Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) as he denied Milan KORCSOG (HUN) from becoming his country’s first-ever U23 European champion. In the 8-1 win, Manashvili never looked in trouble and overpowered Korcsog.
His gold helped Georgia win the third spot in the team race as they finished with 149 points, just two behind Turkey.
A few of these wrestlers will now be in Budapest, Hungary as the action shifts to the senior European Championships, the second continental championships of the year.
RESULTS
61kg
GOLD: Emrah ORMANOGLU (TUR) df Khamzat ARSAMERZOUEV (FRA), 4-1
BRONZE: Ramaz TURMANIDZE (GEO) df Ruhan RASIM (BUL), 10-0
BRONZE: Norik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df Besir ALILI (MKD), 10-0
74kg
GOLD: Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) df Krisztian BIRO (ROU), 8-1
BRONZE: Vasile DIACON (MDA) df Dimitar ANGELOV (BUL), 10-3
BRONZE: Ismet CIFTCI (TUR) df Menua YARIBEKYAN (ARM), 2-1
86kg
GOLD: Abubakr ABAKAROV (AZE) df Lilian BALAN (MDA), 10-0
BRONZE: Emre CIFTCI (TUR) df Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA), 4-3
BRONZE: Bagrati GAGNIDZE (GEO) df Mher MARKOSYAN (ARM), 7-2
92kg
GOLD: Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) df Joshua MORODION (GER), 10-0
BRONZE: Daviti KOGUASHVILI (GEO) df Redjep HAJDARI (MKD), 10-0
BRONZE: Ilia HRISTOV (BUL) df Gheorghe ERHAN (MDA), via fall
125kg
GOLD: Solomon MANASHVILI (GEO) df Milan KORCSOG (HUN), 8-1
BRONZE: Adil MISIRCI (TUR) df Lior ALTSHULER (ISR), 7-3
BRONZE: Aydin AHMADOV (AZE) df Azamat KHOSONOV (GRE), 7-3
57kg
GOLD: Horst LEHR (GER) df Giorgi GEGELASHVILI (GEO), 2-2
BRONZE: Edik HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df Yusuf DEMIR (TUR), 10-0
BRONZE: Tofig ALIYEV (AZE) df Ivaylo TISOV (BUL), 18-8
65kg
GOLD: Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) df Hrachya MARGARYAN (ARM), 4-1
BRONZE: Ayub MUSAEV (BEL) df Leon GERSTENBERGER (GER), 9-1
BRONZE: Hamza ALACA (TUR) df Marwane YEZZA (FRA), via inj. def.
70kg
GOLD: Giorgi ELBAKIDZE (GEO) df Narek HARUTYUNYAN (ARM), 6-5
BRONZE: Nicolai GRAHMEZ (MDA) df Benedikt HUBER (AUT), 10-0
BRONZE: Ivan STOYANOV (BUL) df Fati VEJSELI (MKD), 1-1
79kg
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df Evsem SHVELIDZE (GEO), 16-9
BRONZE: Ashraf ASHIROV (AZE) df Oktay HASAN (BUL), 14-3
BRONZE: Abdulvasi BALTA (TUR) df Mushegh MKRTCHYAN (ARM), 2-1
97kg
GOLD: Islam ILYASOV (AZE) df Johannes MAYER (GER), 5-3
BRONZE: Radu LEFTER (MDA) df Stole EFTIMOV (MKD), 10-0
BRONZE: Richard VEGH (HUN) df Riveri MTSITURI (GEO), 7-4
Source and image: www.uww.org
