Arsen Harutyunyan wins bronze at the 2026 European Championships

Armenian freestyle wrestler Arsen Harutyunyan (61 kg) won a bronze medal at the 2026 European Freestyle Wrestling Championships.

In the bronze medal bout, the 26-year-old athlete confidently defeated Belarusian representative Dmitry Shamel with a score of 7:2.

This medal became Harutyunyan’s seventh at the European Championships: he had previously won four gold medals, one silver, and now two bronze medals. Thus, he extended a unique streak — the Armenian wrestler has reached the podium at seven consecutive continental championships.

At the tournament in Tirana, Harutyunyan had four bouts, securing three victories. His only defeat came in the semifinal against Olympic champion Zaur Uguev — 3:4 (followed by a fall).

For the Armenian national team, this is already the third bronze medal at the 2026 European Freestyle Wrestling Championships. Earlier, medals were won by Manvel Khndzrtsyan (57 kg) and Vazgen Tevanyan (65 kg). Later today, Khachatur Khachatryan (125 kg) will also compete for bronze.

The European champion in the 61 kg weight category was Zaur Uguev, who defeated Zelimkhan Abakarov in the final.