Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg) has not been included in Azerbaijan’s preliminary squad for the European Championships, which will take place from April 20 to 26 in Tirana, Albania.
As reported by Idman.Biz, United World Wrestling (UWW) has released the initial entries for national teams ahead of the continental tournament in the Albanian capital.
The absence of Magomedov, who claimed bronze at the 2024 Olympics, stands out in Azerbaijan’s freestyle lineup. The decorated wrestler suffered an injury at a ranking tournament held in Tirana from February 25 to March 1, and the issue appears to have been serious enough to prevent him from recovering in time for one of the key competitions of the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, Ali Tsokaev (92 kg), who recently won the European U23 title in Serbia, has been included in the senior squad. In addition, Osman Nurmagomedov, who usually competes at 92 kg, has moved up to the Olympic 97 kg category in Magomedov’s absence.
There were no major surprises in the remaining freestyle weight classes, with the preliminary squad as follows:
Islam Bazarganov (57 kg), Nuraddin Novruzov (61 kg), Rashid Babazade (65 kg), Kanan Heybatov (70 kg), Turan Bayramov (74 kg), Jabrayil Gadzhiyev (79 kg), Arseniy Dzhioev (86 kg), Ali Tsokaev (92 kg), Osman Nurmagomedov (97 kg), Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg).
In Greco-Roman wrestling, Azerbaijan’s preliminary squad also features the leading athletes in their respective weight categories or those currently in top form. Notably, Nihat Mammadli (60 kg) and Ziya Babashov (63 kg), who won the recent ranking tournament in Tirana, are included. Team leader and Olympic bronze medallist Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg) will also compete, while another prominent wrestler, Ulvi Ganizade (72 kg), is still recovering from surgery in February and will miss the European Championships.
The preliminary Greco-Roman squad is as follows:
Rashad Mammadov (55 kg), Nihat Mammadli (60 kg), Ziya Babashov (63 kg), Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg), Ruslan Nurullayev (72 kg), Sanan Suleymanov (77 kg), Gurban Gurbanov (82 kg), Islam Abbasov (87 kg), Murad Ahmadiev (97 kg), Beka Kandelaki (130 kg).
It should be noted that UWW has not yet published the preliminary entries for the women’s teams. National federations still have the opportunity to make changes to their squads before the start of the championships.
