Vahe Aghasyan — European U23 Judo Champion! A Historic Gold for Armenia

Armenian judoka Vahe Aghasyan (–60 kg) has become the European U23 Champion at the tournament held in Chișinău.

On his way to the title, Aghasyan claimed five impressive victories — defeating opponents from Bulgaria, Spain, Moldova, and Belgium, and dominating Georgia’s Mate Gogoberishvili in the final.

This is only the second gold medal in Armenia’s history at the European U23 Judo Championships. The previous one came 22 years ago, in 2003, when Armen Nazaryan took the title.

Moreover, Armenian judokas have not reached the top of the European podium in any age category for six years — since 2018, when Ferdinand Karapetyan became European Champion among seniors.

Aghasyan’s victory marks a historic milestone for Armenian judo, highlighting the rise of a new generation of athletes.

On the first day of the tournament, the following athletes also competed:

• Martin Badalyan (60 kg) — lost in the opening round to a Polish opponent.

• Jirair Gambaryan (66 kg) — defeated an Israeli, then lost to an Azerbaijani, and later to an Italian in the repechage.

• Artak Torosyan (73 kg) — beat a Bulgarian, but lost to a Romanian.

Tomorrow, Gor Karapetyan (100 kg) will continue Armenia’s campaign at the championship.

A historic day for Armenian judo — Vahe Aghasyan is the European U23 Champion.