Vadim Tsarelunga (right) after winning the small final over Iran's Benjamin Hezli
Vadim Tsarelunga in the small final of the competition in the weight category up to 45 kg with the score 8:3 took the upper hand over the representative of Iran Benyamin Hezli. In 1/8 finals 15-year-old wrestler was stronger than Yash Kamanna from India (10:1), in 1/4 finals lost to Kazakhstan’s representative Zhanazhol Kuanyshbek (4:15), but rehabilitated in the additional qualifying round, in which he defeated Danimir Yordanov from Bulgaria (7:1).
The world champion in this weight category became the offender of the Moldovan wrestler – Zhanazhol Kuanyshbek, the silver medal was won by Nurkerim Kumarbekov from Kyrgyzstan. The bronze medalist of the competition, along with Vadim Tsarelunga, was Abdurrahman Huseynli (Azerbaijan), who defeated the Ukrainian Timur Maharramov (9:0) in the small final.
The bronze medal won by Vadim Tsarelunga allowed Moldova to take the 17th place in the team standings among 44 participating countries. The first three places were taken by the national teams of Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
At the World Olympic Wrestling Championships, Moldova was represented by 16 athletes: eight freestyle wrestlers, five – Greco-Roman style and three representatives in women’s wrestling. The best result among all Moldovan athletes who did not reach the podium was achieved by 16-year-old Alexandra Moisei, who lost the bronze medal to the representative of Germany Fenier Magdalena Hermann (2:4) in the weight category up to 65 kg.
