Eryomenko was represented in the 63 kg weight category, and Solovey, who lost in the small final – up to 77 kg.
Best – for the second year in a row
For 22-year-old Yeromenko the tournament had a special significance, as he was defending the title of European Youth Champion, which he won a year earlier in Tirana, Albania.
In the first round, Yeromenko defeated Lucas Le Grasso (France). Then he knocked out Azerbaijan’s Ilkin Gurbanov and Georgia’s Rati Khozrevanidze. The final clashed with Russian Dorji Shungurtsikov. The Moldovan athlete won 6:2 and confirmed the status of the strongest in Europe in the category up to 63 kg. Gurbanov and Jan Gamelius (Sweden) won bronze medals.
Failed to repeat last year’s success
Alexander Solovey failed to defend the title of European champion among youth in the category up to 77 kg. He defeated Lars Strandner (Sweden), Igor Botez (Romania), and in the semifinals he lost to Samvel Terteryan from Armenia. The Moldovan wrestler had an opportunity to compete with Irfan Mirzoev (Ukraine) for the bronze medal in the small final. However, 21-year-old Solovei lost with the score 1:2.
Russia’s Danil Grigoriev replaced Solovey as the strongest man in Europe. Terteryan won the silver medal, while Mirzoev and Temuri Ordzhonikidze (Georgia) were bronze medalists.
Ninth in Europe
The Moldovan Greco-Roman wrestling team, thanks to Eremenko’s victory, took the ninth place among 32 national teams in the final team standings. The top three were Russia, Armenia and Georgia.
Moldovan Greco-Roman wrestlers failed to surpass their freestyle teammates. European champion was Alexander Gaidarli, and the bronze medalist – Alexander Borsh. Among the girls, only Mihaela Samoil distinguished herself and took the third place.
400 athletes from 32 countries took part in the European Youth Championships, who played 30 sets of medals, 10 of which – in Greco-Roman wrestling.
