Arsen Balayan — U23 World Champion in Freestyle Wrestling

Armenian athlete from Kaliningrad, Arsen Balayan, won the gold medal for Team Russia at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Freestyle Wrestling, held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

In the 86 kg weight category, Balayan achieved a dominant 10–0 victory in the final over Moldova’s Eugeniu Mihalcean. This was the only gold medal for Team Russia at the tournament.

On his way to the final, Arsen demonstrated total superiority, defeating:

• Ali Tsokaev (Azerbaijan) — 7:1,

• Tornike Samkharadze (Georgia) — 10:0,

• Gabriele Niccolini (Italy) — 10:0.

With confident wins at every stage, Balayan became one of the standout wrestlers of the championship.

Earlier this year, Arsen also became the European Champion in the same age category, competing at 79 kg.