Karen Sargsyan becomes 2026 European sambo champion

Armenian sambo athlete Karen Sargsyan won the gold medal at the 2026 European Sambo Championships, which are taking place in Tbilisi.

In the final of the 58 kg weight category, Sargsyan faced Georgia’s Vakhtangi Chidrashvili and claimed a 2–1 victory. This success brought Team Armenia its first gold medal of the tournament.

Karen’s road to the final was far from easy: during the competition, the Armenian athlete also defeated representatives of Russia and Bulgaria.

After Sargsyan’s triumph, Armenia now has 6 medals at the 2026 European Sambo Championships.

Armenian sambo athletes are still fighting for more gold medals. Team Armenia has three more finals ahead.

Finals involving Armenian sambo athletes

Combat sambo

• 64 kg: Mayis Nersesyan — Sheikh-Mansur Khabibulaev (Russia)
• 98 kg: Leonid Melikyan — Magomed Hasanov (Russia)

Sport sambo

• 88 kg: Gor Harutyunyan — Adil Adilzade (Azerbaijan)

Thus, Team Armenia still has a strong chance to significantly improve its medal tally at the European Championships in Tbilisi.