Thanks to these awards Moldova took the 6th place in the team standings of freestyle wrestling competitions among 27 participating countries and the 10th place among 20 participating countries in women’s competitions. Above our national team were the representatives of the countries that are traditionally favorites in international competitions – Azerbaijan, Turkey and Ukraine.
At the end of the freestyle wrestling competitions the decisive bouts of Greco-Roman style athletes took place, which ended with two gold and bronze medals for our national team. In the weight category up to 63 kg there was no equal to 21-year-old Vitaly Eremenko. On his way to the finals he gained confident victories over David Zhotyan (Armenia), Alexander Andreev (Russia, competed in neutral status) and Romeo Beridze (Georgia). In the final he faced the reigning European U-23 champion, Azerbaijan’s Ziya Babashov, and took revenge for his defeat in last year’s final. The revenge turned out to be convincing – the Moldovan wrestler won 3:1, having lost to him 2:3 in 2024.
After the tournament, Vitaliy Eremenko admitted that two weeks before the start of the competition were not easy for him because of a viral illness.
– At the beginning of March I was lying down with a fever, I had a cough. Only a week before the start of the championship I was able to confirm my readiness for the competition. I can confidently say that I approached the competition in my best shape. The hardest, as it usually happens, was the first fight, in which emotions are pouring over the edge. When I made it to the 1/8 finals, I concentrated and acted much more clearly on the mat. The final was not easy, but unlike last year, my opponent did not have the home court advantage and the support of the stands (the European Youth Championships in 2024 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan – author’s note). In my favor played the fact that in Tirana I felt more confident than my opponent, because last October I became the world champion among athletes under 23 years old. The court became very familiar to me, – said the newly-crowned European U-23 champion.
The second gold medal was won by the Moldovan athlete in the competition among Greco-Roman wrestlers in the weight category up to 82 kg. In 1/8 finals Alexander Solovei easily defeated Ibrahim Tabaev from Belgium (10:0), in the quarterfinals he defeated Jonny Kunnari Sarkinen from Finland with the score 5:1, and the exit to the big final was secured thanks to the victory over Elmin Aliev from Azerbaijan (8:0). In the final he faced Gamzat Gadzhiev from Russia, who competed under the auspices of the UWW (International Olympic Wrestling Federation). The fight ended with the score 3:1 in favor of the representative of Moldova. For the 20-year-old athlete this medal became the first gold medal in youth competitions – previously he won only in youth international tournaments.
The reigning world champion among athletes under 23 years old in the weight category up to 77 kg Alexandrin Gutsu failed to consolidate his success at the European Youth Championships, losing in the semifinals to the representative of Russia in neutral status Evgeny Baidusov. In the “small final” he faced Carl Edwin Hugo Buff from Sweden. In the fight for the 3rd place, the 22-year-old Moldovan wrestler won a confident victory with the score 5:1 and won the bronze medal.
All three wrestlers of Greco-Roman style are pupils of the coach of the national team in Greco-Roman wrestling Mihail Cucul, representing the sports club “Heracle” (Timisoara, Romania). Their successes allowed the national team of Moldova to take the 5th place in the team standings of Greco-Roman wrestling competitions among 29 participating countries.
Another Greco-Roman wrestler Vasile Zabica was defeated in the fight for the bronze medal in the weight category up to 72 kg. Arionas Kolitsopoulos from Greece won 7-2, while the 20-year-old wrestler from Moldova failed to repeat the success achieved at last year’s European Championships.
Representatives of our country in other weight categories failed to compete for medals (see table).
The next big international competition – European Championship of Olympic wrestling among adults – will be held from April 7 to 13 in Bratislava (Slovakia). Moldova’s preliminary application includes freestyle wrestlers Leonid Colesnic (up to 61 kg), Serghei Lupasco (up to 65 kg), Vasile Diacon (up to 70 kg), Ion Marcu (up to 74 kg), Eugen Mihalcean (up to 86 kg), Ivan Ikizli (up to 92 kg). Radu Lefter (up to 97 kg) and Gheorghe Erhan (up to 125 kg).
Artem Deleanu (up to 55 kg), Victor Ciobanu (up to 60 kg), Vitali Eremenco (up to 63 kg), Valentin Petic (up to 67 kg), Mihai Petic (up to 72 kg), Alexander Solovei (up to 77 kg), Mihail Bradu (up to 82 kg) and Gabriel Lupasco (up to 87 kg) are tentatively announced for the Greco-Roman wrestling competitions.
The women’s national team at the tournament, judging by the preliminary application of the Moldovan Wrestling Federation, will consist of Maria Leorda (up to 50 kg), Iulia Leorda (up to 53 kg), Mariana Dragutan (up to 55 kg), Mihaela Samoil (up to 57 kg), Mariana Kerdivara (up to 59 kg), Nina Bodisteanu (up to 62 kg), Irina Ryngach (up to 65 kg) and Emilia Creciun (up to 72 kg).
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Results of Moldova’s performance at the European Youth Championships (U-23) in Olympic wrestling in Tirana (Albania) |
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Athlete |
Weight category |
Result |
|
Women’s wrestling |
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|
Michaela Samoil |
up to 55 kg |
Silver medal |
|
Freestyle wrestling |
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|
Ion Marcu |
up to 74 kg | Bronze medal |
|
Evgeniy Mikhalchan |
up to 86 kg |
Bronze medal |
|
Ion Bulgaru |
up to 57 kg |
5th place |
|
Fedor Chavdar |
up to 65 kg |
5th place |
|
Pavel Graur |
up to 70 kg |
5th place |
|
Vasile Marcu |
up to 61 kg |
7th place |
|
Marius Retco |
up to 79 kg |
8th place |
|
Konstantin Buza |
up to 97 kg |
10th place |
| Dmitry Duskov | up to 125 kg |
10th place |
|
Ion Damian |
up to 92 kg |
14th place |
|
Greco-Roman wrestling |
||
|
Vitaly Yeremenko |
up to 63 kg |
Gold medal |
|
Alexander Solovey |
up to 82 kg |
Gold medal |
|
Alexandrin Gutsu |
up to 77 kg |
Bronze medal |
|
Vasiliy Zabika |
up to 72 kg |
5th place |
|
Gabriel Lupashko |
up to 87 kg |
8th place |
|
Maxim Sarmanov |
up to 55 kg |
9th place |
|
Roman Balkivsky |
up to 97 kg |
11th place |
In the photo: European U-23 champion (up to 82 kg) Alexander Solovei (in the foreground)
and Mihail Cucul, head coach of the Moldovan Greco-Roman wrestling team // Photo: uww.org
