DORTMUND, Germany (June 27) – Andrey YATSENKO (UKR) secured his first medal at a major junior-level event on Tuesday with a huge back-arching throw to fall in the 60kg semifinals at the Junior European Wrestling Championships.

Yatsenko, trailing 4-7 late in his semifinal pairing with Edemi BOLVADZE (GEO), converted from a desperation leg-attack to an upper-body lock and back arching throw for an 8-7 lead, holding on and pressing for the fall at 5:48 on the opening day of the championships.

The color of the medal Yatsenko receives at Helmut Kornig Halle on Tuesday evening will be determined in the 60kg final with fellow European under-23 bronze medalist Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE).

Yatsenko, a two-time cadet world champion, won a silver medal at last year’s senior European championships and grabbed a bronze medal at the U23 meet in March.

On the junior-level, however, Yatsenko has gone to the European (2015) and world (2016) championships and has returned home empty-handed with pair of fifth-place finishes.

Also in the opening session, U23 champion Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) rallied from a 4-6 deficit with 10 points in the second period to snare a 14-6 win over Ibrahim CIFTSI (TUR) in the 96kg semifinals.

Matcharashivili, in the junior European gold medal finals for the second year in a row, will square off with Simone IANNATTONE (ITA), a fifth-place finisher at last year’s junior world championships in Macon, France.

Matcharashvili’s teammate, Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) tore through the bottom half of the 74kg bracket with a pair of falls and technical falls and will meet Rustam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) for gold medal.

The first gold medal final of the evening will feature Shahin MUKHTAROV (AZE), a bronze medal winner at the 2015 cadet world championships, and Mukhammadkhon MUKHAMMADKHON (RUS), who notched a fall and a pair of technical falls in the moring session.

Medal Final Pairings & Semifinal Results

Freestyle

50kg (13 entries)
Gold – Shahin MUKHTAROV (AZE) v Mukhammadkohn MUKHAMMADKHON (RUS)  

Bronze – Valentine DAMOUR (FRA) v Horst LEHR (GER)
Bronze – Karen ZURABYAN (ARM) v Engin CETIN (TUR)

Semifinal – Shahin MUKHTAROV (AZE) df. Horst LEHR (GER), 6-5  
Semifinal – Mukhammadkhon MUKHAMMADKHON (RUS) df. Engin CETIN (TUR) by TF, 11-0, 3:28

60kg (17 entries)
Gold – Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) v Andrey YATSENKO (UKR)

Bronze – Abdula AKHMEDOV (RUS) v Vitalie BUNICI (MDA)
Bronze – Stefan COMAN (ROU) v Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO)

Semifinal – Ali RAHIMZADE (AZE) df. Vitalie BUNICI (MDA) by TF, 16-4, 5:32 
Semifinal – Andrey YATSENKO (UKR) df. Edemi BOLKVADZE (GEO) by Fall, 5:48 (8-7)

74kg (20 entries)
Gold – Rustam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) v Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO)

Bronze – Akhsarbek GULAEV (RUS) v Alberts JURCENKO (LAT)
Bronze – Johann STEINFORTH (GER) v Muhammet KUCUKYILDIRIM (TUR)
 
Semifinal – Rustam MAGOMEDOV (RUS) df. Alberts JURCENKO (LAT), 8-4
Semifinal – Nika KENTCHADZE (GEO) df. Muhammet KUCUKYILDIRIM (TUR) by Fall, 4:07 (4-1)

96kg (16 entries)
Gold – Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) v Simone IANNATTONE (ITA) 

Bronze – Magomedrasul GAZIMAGOMEDOV (AZE) v Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR)
Bronze – Anton ZLATKOV (BUL) v Dmitri CEACUSTA (MDA)

Semifinal – Givi MATCHARASHVILI (GEO) df. Ibrahim CIFTCI (TUR), 14-5
Semifinal – Simone IANNATTONE (ITA) df. Dmitri CEACUSTA (MDA), 3-1