By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestlers have achieved historical victory in the continental championship.

The wrestlers won seven medals which is the best result of the national team in the under-23 freestyle wrestling both in terms of the number of medals and the team standings.

Azerbaijani team was represented at the European Under-23 Wrestling Championship in nine weight categories out of ten.

The wrestling team led by coaches Arif Abdullayev, Jabrail Hasanov and Rovshan Hajiyev captured four gold and three  bronze medals. Moreover, it also scored 159 points and became the European champion in  the team standings.

Ziraddin Bayramov (65 kg), Jabrail Hajiyev (74 kg), Abubakr Abakarov (86 kg) and Islam Ilyasov (97 kg) defeated all their rivals and became European champions. Bronze medals came from Tofig Aliyev (57 kg), Ashraf Ashirov (79 kg) and Aydin Ahmedov (125 kg).

The second place went to Turkey (151 points) while Georgia (149 points) came in third.

Wrestling remains the most popular sport in the county and is overseen by the National Wrestling Federation, which was established in 1993.

The Rio Games opened a new page in wrestling for Azerbaijan.

The country became one of only two nations ever to increase the number of medals achieved in five consecutive Games.

In 2020, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers finished third in the overall medal table of the Individual World Cup in Serbia.

National wrestlers won two medals, including silver and bronze. Russia topped the medal table followed by Turkey.

The national team also won five medals at the Grand Prix Moscow held in Russia. The national team won one gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the tournament.

At the same time, Osman Nurmagomedov (92 kg)  was crowned the World Champion in Belgrade last year.