Georgia wins gold, silver at Junior European wrestling contest

Georga's Nugzar Tsurtsumia (R) claimed his second gold medal in five months at the Bucharest Championships. Photo from Martin Gabor/United World Wrestling.
Agenda.ge, 22 Jun 2016 - 17:59, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgian athletes have won a gold and two silver medals at the Junior European Wrestling Championships, currently underway in Romania, putting the team in the lead after the first day of the international contest.

Greco-Roman style wrestler Nugzar Tsurtsumia won gold in the 50kg category yesterday, on day one of the competition in Bucharest, Romania.

Tsurtsumia defeated Azerbaijan's Azar Nasibli after coming from behind to end the game with a score of 10-8.

The Georgian was initially six points behind his opponent after surrendering headlocks at the start of the first and then second period of the final however he recovered to counter the Azerbaijani wrestler with headlocks of his own and ultimately claimed the victory.

The result saw Georgia emerge as the leading country of the team competition with 28 points after the first day of the contest. Georgia is the defending champions of the Junior European Championships.

The team’s lead was echoed by United World Wrestling, the governing body of the competition who tweeted a message to its social media followers:

With 28 points Georgia currently leads Ukraine (26 points) and Russia (21) in the team standings.

Tsurtsumia's win was his second gold in five months following his win at the Austrian Open tournament in February this year.

Meanwhile Georgia’s two silver medals were awarded to Levan Kavzharadze in the 60kg category and Giorgi Melia in the 96kg group.

Kavzharadze lost out to Azerbaijan's Mikhail Rahmanov 11-2, while Melia succumbed to Russia's Ruslan Bekuzarov 11-5.

Four more Georgian athletes will take to the ring and represent the country today.

David Chkhartishvili will compete in the 55kg category, while Giorgi Khetsuriani will face his opponent in the 66kg section. Reigning junior world champions Ramaz Zoidze and Zviad Pataridze will also perform today in Bucharest.

This year's Junior European Wrestling Championships run from June 21-26 at the Polyvalent Hall Bucharest in Romania's capital.