WALYBRZYCH, Poland (March 25) – Yarygin Grand Prix winner Muradin KUSHKOV (RUS) recorded three technical falls to advance to the 125kg gold medal final on the second day of the European Under-23 Wrestling Championships.
Along with Kushkhov, Yarygin bronze medal winner Rasul ARSANALIEV (RUS) also notched three technical falls to advance to the 70kg final, while a pair of unheralded wrestlers from Ukraine will also close out the men’s freestyle competition with appearances in the championship bouts.
Andrii SVYRYD (UKR), a fifth-place finisher in the 2013 junior world meet, will face Medved Prizes titlist Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) in the 61kg final, while untested Ivan KUSYAK (UKR) finds himself in the 70kg final opposite Arsanaliev.
Frangulyan, frustrating opponents with his unorthodox style, squirmed into the finals with a 6-0 win over 2013 junior world champion Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) and a hotly disputed 9-7 win over Recep TOPAL (TUR) in the semifinals.
At 86kg, Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR), a silver medalist at the Medved Prizes three weeks ago, marched into the finals again and will face Magomedgadzhiev KHATIYEV (AZE). Khatiev held on for a 7-6 win over Golden Grand Prix Final winner Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS) in the semifinals.
Pairings for Wednesday’s medal bouts:
61kg (16 entries)
Gold - Volodya FRANGULYAN (ARM) v Andrii SVYRYD (UKR)
Bronze - Akhmednabi GVARZATILOV (AZE) v Recep TOPAL (TUR)
Bronze - Mihai ESANU (MDA) v Giorgi SHAMATAVA (GEO)
70kg (14 entries)
Gold - Ivan KUSYAK (UKR) v Rasul ARSANLIEV (RUS)
Bronze - Alexandru CODREANU (MDA) v Zsombor GULYAS (HUN)
Bronze - Andrei KARPACH (BLR) v Ishan POGHOSYAN (ARM)
86kg (19 entries)
Gold - Aleksandr HUSHTYN (BLR) v Magomedgadzhi KHATIYEV (AZE)
Bronze - Halil ZUBAIROV (MKD) v Daniel RAMA (ESP)
Bronze - Fatih ERDIN (TUR) v Shamil KUDIYAMAGOMEDOV (RUS)
125kg (11 entries)
Gold - Giorgi MESHVILDISHVILI (GEO) v Muradin KUSHKHOV (RUS)
Bronze - Ali MAGOMEDABIROV (AZE) v Danyto KARTAVI (UKR)
Bronze - Egor OLAR (MDA) v Robert BARAN (POL)
