Armenia’s Wrestlers Bring Home Silver and Bronze at European Championship
- The Armenian Report Team
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The European Freestyle Wrestling Championships, held this year in Bratislava, Slovakia, brought both joy and heartbreak for Armenia’s wrestling stars. Three of Armenia’s top wrestlers—Arman Andreasyan, Arsen Harutyunyan, and Vazgen Tevanyan—fought hard in their respective categories and brought home two medals and one shot at gold.
Arman Andreasyan, one of Armenia’s top freestyle wrestlers, fought bravely in the 70 kg weight category. He made it all the way to the final but was unable to beat Russia’s David Baev, a world champion from 2019. Andreasyan lost with a score of 1:4 and earned the silver medal.
Andreasyan started the match with a lot of energy, pushing forward and staying active. However, the referee gave him two passivity warnings during the first round. He couldn’t score a point, and the first round ended 0:1 in favor of Baev.
In the second round, Baev pulled ahead with a smart two-point move and later added another point by pushing Andreasyan out of bounds. Andreasyan managed to score one point late in the match by doing the same to Baev, but with just five seconds left, Andreasyan stopped wrestling and the match ended.
Despite the loss, Andreasyan had a great tournament. He dominated in his earlier matches—defeating Poland’s Mateusz Luzhinski 10:0, Ukraine’s Alexei Boruta 4:0, and Georgia’s Akaki Kemertelidze 3:1 in the semifinals.
This silver medal makes Andreasyan a two-time European vice-champion. The 25-year-old has been wrestling since he was 9 and is trained by coach Rafik Goletsyan. Over the years, Andreasyan has built an impressive career. He has medals from youth, U23, and senior competitions, including a gold medal at the 2021 World Army Championship and a bronze at the 2023 World Championship. He was also named one of Armenia’s top 10 athletes in 2023.
Earlier this year, in February 2024, Andreasyan won his first European championship title in Bucharest by defeating Akaki Kemertelidze 7:3. That victory was deeply emotional, as he dedicated it to his brother, Taron Andreasyan, who died in the 2020 Artsakh War.
Armenia’s wrestling superstar Arsen Harutyunyan is aiming for his fifth European championship title after winning a difficult semifinal match. In the 61 kg weight class, Harutyunyan faced tough competition from Zelimkhan Abakarov—a world champion and two-time European silver medalist who now wrestles for Albania.
The match was intense, but Harutyunyan came out on top with a 5:2 victory. This wasn’t the first time the two met; Harutyunyan also beat Abakarov 5:2 in the 2023 European Championship final in Belgrade.
Harutyunyan’s journey to the final was strong from the start. He crushed Bulgarian wrestler Stilian Iliev 11:0 in his first match and beat Moldovan Leomid Kolesnik 12:2 in the quarterfinals. That match lasted just 2 minutes and 9 seconds, showing how dominant Harutyunyan is on the mat.
In the final, Harutyunyan will face a legendary opponent—Zaur Uguev, the Tokyo Olympic champion and two-time world champion. It promises to be one of the most exciting matches of the tournament.
Vazgen Tevanyan, another top Armenian wrestler, brought home a bronze medal in the 65 kg weight category—but in an unexpected way. Tevanyan was scheduled to fight Georgian wrestler Goga Otiashvili for the bronze, but the Georgian was disqualified for being overweight during the official weigh-in. As a result, Tevanyan was awarded the medal without stepping onto the mat.
Tevanyan is no stranger to success. He’s a European champion, a world bronze medalist, and a two-time Olympian—having competed in both Tokyo 2020 and qualifying for Paris 2024.
The gold medal in the 65 kg division went to Russia’s Ibrahim Ibrahimov, while silver went to France’s Khamzat Arsamezuev. Alongside Tevanyan, Azerbaijan’s Ali Rahimzada also received a bronze.
Stay tuned for updates on Harutyunyan’s final match and more from Bratislava.
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