Islam became European champion, Jabrayil won bronze medal

April 25, 2026

The European Wrestling Championships in Tirana, the capital of Albania, are nearing their conclusion.

On the sixth day of the competition, two of our freestyle wrestlers stepped onto the podium.

Islam Bazarganov (57 kg) faced Russian Musa Mekhtikhanov in the final. Our representative avenged last year’s defeat at the World Championships. Islam started the bout strongly and finished the first period with an 8:0 lead. In the second period, his opponent narrowed the gap, but Islam ultimately secured the victory with a final score of 8:6. Thus, Islam, who played our national anthem in Tirana, became European champion among seniors for the first time in his career.

Jabrayil Hajiyev (79 kg) also achieved the biggest success of his career. He did not give any chance to Rasul Shapiyev, representing North Macedonia, winning 8:0, and claimed the bronze medal at the European Championships.

Rashid Babazada won his repechage bout against Belgium’s Ayub Musayev with a score of 4:2, but in the bronze medal match he lost 0:7 to Armenian European champion Vazgen Tevanyan and finished the tournament in 5th place in his debut appearance.