Rihad Ibrahimli Advances to European Championship Final

The U17 European Championship has commenced in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.

On the first day of competition, Greco-Roman wrestlers in the 48, 55, 65, 80, and 110 kg weight categories competed on the mats.

In the 48 kg category, Gurban Majnunov delivered a dominant debut performance, defeating Hungary’s Gergo Zatko 11-2. He continued his impressive run by overcoming Turkey’s Baris Soylu with a 6-1 victory, advancing to the semifinals. In a tense semifinal match against Armenia’s Martin Manjikyan, Majnunov narrowly lost due to the tie-break rule on technical points (6-6). He will face Greece’s Nikolaos Zinis tomorrow in the bronze medal bout.

Ayhan Asadli (55 kg) secured a 6-3 win against Belarusian Aleksandr Belyakov in the opening round but was pinned in the quarterfinals by Russia’s Danil Lozhkin.

Ramil Musayev (65 kg) celebrated a quick victory by pinning Italy’s Alessio Aranchion. However, in the round of 16, he fell to Belarusian Vladislav Salavyov in a closely contested 3-5 match.

In the 80 kg category, Nijat Yeylagaliyev began with a commanding 8-0 victory over Czech wrestler Jachim Jaburek. He maintained his momentum by defeating Greece’s Stefanos Vasdekis 6-1 and then securing a dominant 9-0 win against Georgia’s Giorgi Ormotsadze. In the semifinals, Yeylagaliyev was narrowly defeated by Lithuania’s Benediktas Bublevicius based on the last point principle (1-1). Tomorrow, he will compete for bronze against either Danilo Aksentijevic (Serbia), Olivers Irklis (Latvia), or Jens Abrahamsson (Sweden).

Rihad Ibrahimli (110 kg) showcased his strength in the opening rounds, defeating Belarusian Matvey Silish 5-1 and Poland’s Mateusz Tomelka 11-2. In the semifinals, he outperformed Ukraine’s Anatoliy Novachenko with a 4-1 victory, earning his place in the final. Rihad will face Bulgaria’s Denis Lazarov in tomorrow’s gold medal match.