Freestyle wrestlers continue strong run in Tirana as medal hopes grow
Azerbaijan’s freestyle wrestlers continued their campaign at the European Championships in Tirana with strong performances, as Islam Bazarganov and Jabrail Hajiyev secured places in the semi-finals of the tournament, İdman.Biz reports.
Competing in the 57kg category, Bazarganov advanced after a convincing 9-4 victory over Ariyan Tyutrin, representing United World Wrestling. In the 79kg division, Hajiyev delivered an impressive performance to defeat European champion and world medallist Akhsarbek Gulaev 7-2, underlining his medal ambitions.
Elsewhere, Azerbaijan’s campaign saw mixed results. Rashid Babazade (65kg) and Kenan Geybatov (70kg) both exited at the quarter-final stage after defeats to Bashir Magomedov and Oleksii Boruta respectively, while Osman Nurmagomedov (97kg) suffered a narrow 2-3 loss to Georgian contender Givi Matcharashvili in a tightly contested opening bout.
The results build on Azerbaijan’s already successful showing at the championships, where the Greco-Roman team finished first overall with two gold and three bronze medals, while Gunay Gurbanova had earlier secured bronze in the women’s competition.
With the semi-finals set to take place later in the day, Azerbaijan remain firmly in contention for further medals as the tournament in Tirana approaches its conclusion on April 26.
