Dominant display in Tirana underlines team’s medal ambitions ahead of final stages
All five Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers competing on day six of the European Wrestling Championships in Tirana have reached the semi-finals, delivering a flawless performance and reinforcing the nation’s status as one of the continent’s leading wrestling powers, İdman.Biz reports.
Arseniy Djioyev (86kg) sealed his place in the last four with a dominant 11:0 victory over Moldova’s Yevgeni Mihaelka, continuing a series of commanding performances. He is joined in the semi-finals by Ali Tsokayev (92kg), Nureddin Novruzov (61kg), Turan Bayramov (74kg) and Giorgi Meshvildishvili (125kg).
Tsokayev impressed with a 5:0 win over Georgia’s Miriani Maisuradze, while Novruzov advanced after a convincing 17:6 victory against Moldova’s Leomid Kolesnik. Bayramov continued his strong run with an 8:0 win over a neutral athlete representing UWW, and Meshvildishvili progressed thanks to a last-point victory (5:5) over Armenia’s Khachatur Khachatryan.
The clean sweep highlights Azerbaijan’s depth in freestyle wrestling, adding to an already successful campaign in Tirana. Earlier in the tournament, the Greco-Roman team finished first overall, with Hasrat Jafarov and Qurban Qurbanov winning gold, while several others secured bronze medals. The women’s team has also contributed to the medal tally, underlining a strong overall showing across disciplines.
With the competition set to conclude on 26 April, Azerbaijan now have multiple opportunities to convert their semi-final appearances into gold medals and further strengthen their position in the standings.
