Suren Ishkhanyan defeats Azerbaijani wrestler and reaches U17 European Wrestling Championship final

Armenian wrestler Suren Ishkhanyan has reached the final of the U17 European Freestyle Wrestling Championship. In the semifinal bout of the 55 kg weight category, Armenia’s representative earned an impressive technical superiority victory over Azerbaijan’s Abbas Shafiyev with a score of 15:4.

The match was not easy for Ishkhanyan. After the first period, the Armenian wrestler was trailing 3:4, but in the second part of the bout he completely turned the contest around. Suren produced a series of effective actions in par terre, built a big advantage and finished the match early.

In the final of the U17 European Championship, Ishkhanyan will face Osman Temirsultanov, who represents Russia. The decisive bout will take place on May 16.

Ishkhanyan is Armenia’s only finalist on the opening day

On the first day of the freestyle wrestling competition at the U17 European Championship, five weight categories started: 48, 55, 65, 80 and 110 kg.

Among the representatives of the Armenian national team, only Suren Ishkhanyan managed to reach the final. The other Armenian wrestlers ended their campaigns earlier:

Gegham Hovsepyan — 48 kg, reached the quarterfinals

Razmik Voskanyan — 65 kg, reached the quarterfinals

Yeghishe Movsesyan — 80 kg, reached the quarterfinals

Vram Sahakyan — 110 kg, ended his run in the round of 16

Thus, based on the results of the first competition day, Ishkhanyan will be Armenia’s only representative in tomorrow’s final bouts.

U17 European Freestyle Wrestling Championship final pairings for May 16

48 kg: Huseyn Rzazade (Azerbaijan) — Volodymyr Boiko (Ukraine)

55 kg: Suren Ishkhanyan (Armenia) — Osman Temirsultanov (Russia)

65 kg: Rashid Nazarov (Azerbaijan) — Maksim Mongush (Russia)

80 kg: Emirhan Kayir (Turkey) — Nihad Suleymanli (Azerbaijan)

110 kg: Stefan Stefanov (Bulgaria) — Murtaz Bagdavadze (Georgia)

For the Armenian national team, Suren Ishkhanyan’s final will be the main event of the second day of the tournament. The Armenian wrestler has already guaranteed himself a medal at the U17 European Championship and will fight for gold on May 16.