Aren Hayrapetyan defeats Azerbaijani wrestler to reach U20 European freestyle wrestling final

Aren Hayrapetyan became the first finalist for the Armenian national team at the 2026 U20 European Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Skopje.

In a tense 65 kg semifinal, the Armenian wrestler defeated Azerbaijan’s Bashir Verdiyev 6-5 to advance to the decisive bout of the tournament.

In the final, scheduled for July 11, Hayrapetyan will face Moldova’s Ivan Dimov.

The Armenian representative claimed three victories on his way to the final. In the round of 16, he defeated Georgia’s Tengiz Barbakadze 11-8 before overcoming Hungary’s Adam Laczlo 16-9 in the quarterfinals.

Another Armenian wrestler, Narek Nikoghosyan, who competes in the 79 kg weight category, also reached the semifinals. In the bout for a place in the final, he lost to Magomed Alibakharchiev of Russia and will compete for the bronze medal on July 11.

Nikoghosyan recorded two dominant early victories in his opening bouts. He defeated Belarusian wrestler Aliaksei Kurylia 11-1 in the round of 16 and then beat Estonia’s Tristan Aleksandrov 11-0 in the quarterfinals.

The U20 European Freestyle Wrestling Championships began on July 10. Five members of the Armenian national team took to the mat on the opening day of competition.

Results of the Armenian wrestlers on the opening day of the U20 European Championships

57 kg

Round of 32: Sasha Petrosyan — Pavlo Ilnytskyi (Poland) — 10-0

Round of 16: Sasha Petrosyan — Ebubekir Gur (Turkey) — 10-14, defeat by fall

65 kg

Round of 16: Aren Hayrapetyan — Tengiz Barbakadze (Georgia) — 11-8

Quarterfinal: Aren Hayrapetyan — Adam Laczlo (Hungary) — 16-9

Semifinal: Aren Hayrapetyan — Bashir Verdiyev (Azerbaijan) — 6-5

70 kg

Round of 16: Davit Davtyan — Movsar Chopulaev (Belgium) — 11-1

Quarterfinal: Davit Davtyan — Zurab Abalaki (Georgia) — 3-5

79 kg

Round of 16: Narek Nikoghosyan — Aliaksei Kurylia (Belarus) — 11-1

Quarterfinal: Narek Nikoghosyan — Tristan Aleksandrov (Estonia) — 11-0

Semifinal: Narek Nikoghosyan — Magomed Alibakharchiev (Russia) — defeat

97 kg

Round of 16: Hakob Hakobyan — Valentin Borisov (Bulgaria) — 4-0

Quarterfinal: Hakob Hakobyan — Askhab Dadaev (France) — 0-8

As a result, Aren Hayrapetyan advanced to the final on the opening day of competition, while Narek Nikoghosyan earned the right to compete for a bronze medal. The remaining Armenian wrestlers either completed their campaigns or will await their opponents’ results to determine whether they qualify for the repechage.