Azerbaijan’s women’s wrestling team continued its impressive run at the European Championships in Tirana, with Zhalya Aliyeva and Birgul Soltanova advancing to the semi-finals and remaining in contention for gold medals.
According to Idman.Biz, Aliyeva (57 kg) delivered a dominant campaign, progressing through the rounds with confidence. She secured her semi-final place with an early victory over Finland’s Jenna Hemiainen, having previously opened her tournament with a win against Germany’s Amorie Andrich. Her consistent form has made her one of Azerbaijan’s main medal hopes in the competition.
Soltanova (65 kg) also impressed, defeating Romania’s Krista Ince 3:1 in the quarter-finals. The result carried added significance given her opponent’s experience as a four-time European Championship medallist. Soltanova’s performance underlined her potential to challenge for the top prize.
Not all results went Azerbaijan’s way, however, as Ruzanna Mammadova (62 kg) exited the tournament at the quarter-final stage after a 0:5 defeat to Amina Tandelova, competing under the United World Wrestling flag.
The championships in Tirana, which run until April 26, have already been successful for Azerbaijan, with the Greco-Roman team securing first place in the overall standings earlier in the tournament. Aliyeva and Soltanova will now aim to build on that success and push for places in the final
