Georgia wins gold, silver at Junior European wrestling contest
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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:
Georgia Takes First-Day Lead in Greco-Roman at European Jr C’ships STORY --> https://t.co/zcAN4aFcQ4pic.twitter.com/0OuIBwR3D2
— World Wrestling (@wrestling) 21 June 2016
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.
Young Georgian wrestlers have dominated an international competition in Austria after winning medals in all categories of the tournament.
Georgian wrestler Giorgi Melia is the new wrestling junior world champion after he triumphed in the 96kg category of the Greco-Roman wrestling discipline at the tournament in Macon in eastern France.
Georgia’s freestyle wrestling team has won the European Cup of Nations by defeating Russia in the final series of the competition.
Young Georgian wrestlers have claimed six medals at the ongoing U23 Senior European Championships in Hungary, with three athletes claiming gold in their respective categories.
Wrestler Zurab Datunashvili claimed his second European champion’s title in two years and brought Georgia their second gold medal at the European Senior Wrestling Championships on Sunday.
Georgian Olympic, world and European champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili is the world’s number one wrestler in the 61kg weight category.
The team of Georgian wrestlers has won 13 medals in total at the European Junior Wrestling Championship held in Dortmund, Germany between June 27 and July 2.
Georgian wrestler Zviad Pataridze has won gold at today’s Junior Wrestling World Championships defeating his Kyrgyz challenger Roman Kim.