Türkiye's Rıza Kayaalp emerged victorious at the European Wrestling Championships held in Croatia, securing his 12th gold medal in the Greco-Roman 130 kg category.
Kayaalp's path to victory included a win against Serbian Boris Petrusic in the qualifiers, Norway's Oskar Marvik in the quarterfinals and Lithuanian Mantas Knystautas in the semifinals with technical superiority (8-0), leaving his mark in the final.
In the final, Kayaalp edged ahead Azerbaijani Sabah Saleh Shariati 2-1, thus becoming the European Champion for the 12th time and equaling the record of Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin, who also has 12 European Championships to his name.
In a statement to the press after the competition, Kayaalp expressed his happiness at winning the gold medal and acknowledged the difficulty of equaling Karelin's record.
"I came here with the goal of breaking this record and offering it as a gift to our people. Our team had a different objective, but it was an honor to match the record set by the legendary Russian wrestler, Alexander Karelin, who boasts 12 European Championships. We aim to surpass this record next year, and with 13 titles in the challenging branch of Greco-Roman wrestling, it's no small feat. It may sound easy to say, but believe me, it takes incredible dedication and hard work," Kayaalp said.
During the interview, Kayaalp shared that he had sustained an injury to his leg during the first half of the final match when fighting on the ground with his opponent and he suspects that it may be a second-degree tear.
Despite the setback, Kayaalp showed incredible resilience and fought through the pain to secure his victory.
He expressed his gratitude toward President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş and ASKI Sports Club President Yüksel Arslan for their support.
Kayaalp also took a moment to acknowledge the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes that affected southeastern Türkiye and offered his condolences to those who lost their lives and wished for a speedy recovery for the injured.
Cengiz and Başar's exploits
Meanwhile, Ali Cengiz also clinched the silver medal in Greco-Roman style 87 kg at the same tournament.
Ali Cengiz advanced to the quarterfinals after Dutch rival Marcel Starkenburg withdrew from the competition.
He then reached the semifinals by eliminating Azerbaijani Islam Abbasov, ultimately winning the silver medal by losing 5-2 to Hungarian Istvan Takacs in the final.
Yunus Emre Başar also won a bronze medal for Türkiye in the Greco-Roman style 77 kg, defeating Danish Oliver Marco Krueger with technical superiority.
Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu congratulated Rıza Kayaalp for his outstanding achievement at the European Wrestling Championships.
"I heartily congratulate Rıza Kayaalp for winning the gold medal in the Greco-Roman 130 kg category. By reaching the European Championships for the 12th time, Kayaalp not only equaled the record of the legendary Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin, but also became the athlete with the highest number of medals in the European Championships, with a total of 13 medals. I congratulate Kayaalp for adding new victories to his brilliant career and wish him continued success," said Kasapoğlu.
The minister also expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the Turkish flag flying high and the national anthem being played at the championships.