Five Armenian wrestlers to compete on Day 2 of the U17 World Championships in Baku
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
Five more members of the Armenian national team will take to the mat today, the second competition day of the U17 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships in Baku.
The lineup includes reigning U17 world and European champion Janes Nazaryan, as well as European runner-up Aleksan Shaljyan.
Armenia’s lineup:
- 45 kg — Vazgen Vardanyan;
- 51 kg — Gevorg Harutyunyan;
- 60 kg — Artush Petrosyan;
- 71 kg — Janes Nazaryan;
- 92 kg — Aleksan Shaljyan.
First opponents for the Armenian wrestlers
Vazgen Vardanyan will face Raylen Uax of the United States in the 45 kg round of 16.
Gevorg Harutyunyan will begin his 51 kg campaign in the round of 16 against Hungary’s Sandor Kurdi.
In the 60 kg round of 32, Artush Petrosyan will take on Cooper Matthews of the United States.
Janes Nazaryan will face Norway’s Martin Letvik in his opening bout in the 71 kg division.
Aleksan Shaljyan’s opponent in the 92 kg round of 16 will be the winner of the bout between Bulgaria’s Fili Durev and Türkiye’s Yusuf Aksu.
Three Armenian wrestlers remain in bronze-medal contention
Armenia was also represented by five wrestlers on the opening day of the competition. Three of them remain in contention for bronze medals.
Ararat Avetisyan, competing at 48 kg, and Vagen Mnatsakanyan, competing at 65 kg, have advanced to their respective bronze-medal bouts. Khachik Khachikyan, who competes in the 110 kg division, will attempt to reach the bronze-medal match through the repechage round.
The Armenian wrestlers delivered several impressive and hard-fought performances. Ararat Avetisyan and Vagen Mnatsakanyan particularly stood out, showing great determination and earning comeback victories in difficult situations. They will compete for bronze medals tomorrow.
European champion Vahe Hoveyan made a confident start to the tournament but later lost to a strong opponent from Lithuania. Despite the defeat, the year has already been a successful one for the Armenian wrestler. Oveyan will also remain eligible to compete in the U17 age category next year.