FANTASTIC RESULT

The European Wrestling Championships held in Tirana, Albania will go down in history with the outstanding performance of the national team. At the continental tournament, held on April 20-26, 2026, both the Greco-Roman and freestyle teams secured high rankings.

Success of Greco-Roman wrestlers

For the second year running, the Greco-Roman wrestling team from Azerbaijan has secured the top spot in the team standings at the European Championships. The wrestlers achieved a total of 133 points, which included two gold and three bronze medals. This result surpassed the points achieved by Turkey and Georgia.

Gold medals were won by Hasrat Jafarov (67 kg) and Gurban Gurbanov (82 kg), while Rashad Mammadov (55 kg), Nihad Mammadli (60 kg) and Islam Abbasov (87 kg) each took bronze.

Hasrat Jafarov's contribution is particularly noteworthy. The 23-year-old athlete, who has now become European champion for the fourth time in his career, set a new record by winning all his matches consecutively. Gurban Gurbanov, last year's European champion, repeated his success, much to the delight of the coaches.

Please note that due to injuries, two-time world champion Ulvi Ganizade and four-time world champion Eldaniz Ahadov were unable to compete. Notwithstanding the absence of the distinguished wrestlers, the younger generation performed admirably.

Unfortunately, Nihad Mammadli and Rashad Mammadov did not perform to their usual standards, resulting in bronze medals for both of them.

Unfortunately, the performance of youth world champion Ziya Babashov, European champion Sanan Suleymanov and world championship bronze medallist Murad Ahmadiyev did not meet expectations.

Leading for the sixth time

The freestyle wrestling team also successfully defended its prestigious title. We are pleased to announce that three of our wrestlers have become European champions: Islam Bazarganov (57 kg), Ali Tsokaev (92 kg) and Georgi Meshvildishvili (125 kg). Turan Bayramov (74 kg) and Arsenii Jioev (86 kg) both secured silver medals, while Jabrayil Hajiyev (79 kg) claimed the bronze. The national team secured first place for the sixth time in its history, achieving a score of 152 points.

Islam Bazarganov and Ali Tsokaev secured their first-ever European Championship gold medals. The performance of 22-year-old Tsokaev was a pleasant surprise. Following his transition from the youth squad to the senior team, he achieved championship status in his very first adult tournament, thus securing a place in the annals of history.

The first-place finish of 34-year-old Georgi Meshvildishvili demonstrated his strong prospects for Olympic qualification. Meanwhile, youth world and European champion Turan Bayramov was once again narrowly defeated in the gold medal match, losing to Teymuraz Salkazanov. The Slovak representative has historically outperformed Bayramov in recent decisive encounters.

In freestyle wrestling, Azerbaijan's medals have been won exclusively by naturalised athletes. Local wrestlers in Albania demonstrated commendable performances, though their impact was somewhat underwhelming. Nuraddin Novruzov, Kanan Heybatov and Rashid Babazade, who had previously been regarded as having great potential, did not even reach the podium.

Challenges for the women’s team

Regarding women’s wrestling, the team of five athletes under head coach Toghrul Asgarov returned home with two bronze medals, won by Jala Aliyeva (57 kg) and Günay Gurbanova (59 kg).

Of these, only Jala Aliyeva competes in an Olympic weight category. Günay Gurbanova is likely to move up to the 62 kg category soon, which could create serious competition with Ruzanna Mammadova, who shows great promise despite a weak performance at the championship—a pattern also seen with Jala Aliyeva and Birgül Sultanova.

Overall, women’s wrestling in its current state does not demonstrate a level sufficient for serious competition at the World Championships or Olympic Games.

Nevertheless, Toghrul Asgarov expressed optimism about future success for the team: “Of the five wrestlers who competed at the European Championships, three are still competing in youth categories. Despite this, four wrestlers fought for medals in Tirana. Elnura Mammadova suffered a knee injury and had to withdraw; the others fought to the end and gave their maximum effort. We could have won gold medals in the 57 and 59 kg categories, but one setback immediately cost us that opportunity. Two bronze medals could have been two golds. We will work on our mistakes; the team is young and has a long way ahead.”

Khetag Gazyumov: “We improved our gold medal count”

Head coach of Azerbaijan's freestyle wrestling team, Khetag Gazyumov, noted that the result was a product of hard work: "Winning the team competition at the European Championships is significant for both the country and our athletes. The team's and federation's consistent efforts have been recognised with three gold medals. There is nothing novel or out of the ordinary here; we have simply enhanced our gold medal count, which is of significant importance to us. These athletes set an example for others. Our primary focus is on Olympic weight categories. We are planning to move Ali Tsokaev into an Olympic weight class. In the lead-up to the Olympics, it is essential to strengthen competition."

Overall, Azerbaijan's results at the European Wrestling Championships in Albania can be considered satisfactory. Of the 13 medals won by Azerbaijani wrestlers, eight were in Olympic weight categories.

Given that each wrestling style includes six Olympic weight classes, there is reason to look to the future with optimism.

The Russian wrestlers dominated the Albanian championships, claiming the top spot with five gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals. However, their points were not counted in the team standings as they competed under the United World Wrestling banner.