Baldauf Wins Norway’s First-Ever Greco-Roman Gold at European Juniors

KATOWICE, Poland – Felix BALDAUF (NOR) slashed his way through a field world and European bronze medal winners to become Norway’s first-ever gold medalist at the European junior wrestling championships.

Baldauf capped his march through the 96kg bracket with a bodylock throw to fall over Dmitri KAMINSKI (BLR) at 2:49 of the final at Hala Spodek arena in Katowice, southern Poland.

Along the way, the 19-year-old student from Kristiansund defeated junior world bronze medalist Orkhan NURIEV (AZE) and European bronze medal winner Kukuri KIRTSKHAILA (GEO).

Only junior world bronze medalist Fatih BASKOY (TUR) lasted the regulation six minutes with Baldauf, who outscored five opponents, 34-6.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan bagged three gold medals led by two-time cadet world champion Islam ABBASOV, who won a criteria decision over defending champion Denis KUDLA (GER) at 84g, and 2012 cadet world champion Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) at 55kg.

Armenia and Georgia split the four remaining categories.  European junior champion in 2012 Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) reclaimed the crown with a 4-4 criteria win at 60kg while 2013 European cadet bronze medalist Grant KALACHYAN (ARM) won at 66kg.

Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) and Beka KANDELAKI (GEO), both silver medalists at the 2012 cadet worlds, both made the final step up on the medals podium at 74kg and 120kg, respectively.

Russia, meanwhile, took the team title without a single champion, scoring 59 points from a silver medalist and six bronze medal winners. Georgia, which had four bronze medalists to go along with its two champions, finished second with 58 points. 

Azerbaijan was third with 45 points, followed by Armenia with 37.

Greco-Roman

50kg
Gold – Ibrahim NURULLAEV (AZE) df. Alexandru BOTEZ (ROU), 5-1
Bronze – Aleksei KINZHIGALIEV (RUS) df. Petrov NEDYALKO (BUL) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Dogus AYAZCI (TUR) df. Murad HARUTUNYAN (ARM), 4-1

Semifinal – Botez df. Harutunyan, 3-0
Semifinal – Nurullaev df. Kinzhigaliev, 7-6

55kg
Gold – Murad MAMMADOV (AZE) df. Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) by TF, 11-0
Bronze – Gizo MELADZE (GEO) df. Zoltan LEVAI (SVK) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Arif MIRZAEV (RUS) df. Ferdi YORUK (TUR), 6-1

Semifinal – Sleiva df. Levai by TF, 8-0
Semifinal – Mammadov df. Mirzaev by TF, 12-2

60kg
Gold – Gevorg GHARIBYAN (ARM) df. Yasin OZAY (FRA), 4-4
Bronze – Etienne KINSINGER (GER) df. Murad MIKELADZE (GEO), 3-0
Bronze – Zhambolat LOKYAEV (RUS) df. Kristijan SIMATIC (CRO) by TF, 11-2

Semifinal – Gharibyan df. Lokyaev, 4-2
Semifinal – Ozay df. Mikeladze, 5-2

66kg
Gold – Grant KALACHYAN (ARM) df. Aleksey TADYKIN (RUS) by TF, 16-5
Bronze – Mateusz BERNATEK (POL) df. Aleksey KALICHENKO (UKR), 8-2
Bronze – Shmagi BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Daniel CATARAGA (MDA), 5-1

Semifinal – Kalachyan df. Bernatek, 12-7
Semifinal – Tadykin df. Cataraga by TF, 9-0

74kg
Gold – Gela BOLKVADZE (GEO) df. Mihail BRADU (MDA), 6-2
Bronze – Furkan BAYRAK (TUR) df. Andrey ANTONYUK (UKR), 3-0
Bronze – Ali BOBOTAEV (RUS) df. Hannes WAGNER (GER), 2-2

Semifinal – Bradu df. Wagner, 5-3
Semifinal – Bolkvadze df. Antonyuk by TF, 8-0

84kg
Gold – Islam ABBASOV (AZE) df. Denis KUDLA (GER), 1-1
Bronze – Gadzhimurad DZHALALOV (RUS) df. Patryk BONIECKI (POL) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Lasha GOBADZE (GEO) df. Zakarias BERG (SWE), 6-2

Semifinal – Abbasov df. Boniecki by TF, 8-0
Semifinal – Kudla df. Gobadze by TF, 12-4

96kg
Gold – Felix BALDAUF (NOR) df. Dmitry KAMINSKI (BLR) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Karen ABGARYAN (ARM) df. Aleksander KROCZAK (POL) by fall
Bronze – Kukuri KIRTSKHALIA (GEO) df. Orkhan NURIEV (AZE), 3-0

Semifinal – Baldauf df. Kirtskhalia by fall/disq.
Semifinal – Kaminski df. Abgaryrn by fall/disq.

120kg
Gold – Beka KANDELAKI (GEO) df. Mantas KNYSTAUTAS (LTU) by TF, 10-0
Bronze – Sergey SEMENOV (RUS) df. Adam MERTSE (HUN) by TF, 8-0
Bronze – Vladislav VORONY (UKR) df. Vsevolods LAPSOVS (LAT) by TF, 9-1

Semifinal – Knystautas df. Semenov by fall/disq.
Semifinal – Kandelaki df. Voronyi by TF, 8-0