Defending champion Frank Chamizo of Italy will open his title defence against Turkey’s Soner Demirtas in the 74kg category on the sixth and final day of the European Wrestling Championships in Rome today (Saturday).
Demirtas, who did not appear in the last edition of the Championships, in his last meeting with Chamizo had beaten the Italian grappler at the 2018 European Championships semi-finals on way to his title triumph.
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A Rio Olympics bronze medallist, Chamizo had won gold in the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 European Championships. His World Championships heroics include a gold 2017 and sliver last year.
Demirtas has won gold at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 European Championships and bagged a silver in the Rome Ranking series in January.
Russia’s Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov, who is at the top of the 74kg fixtures, will be facing Jonathan Alvarez Diaz. Gazimagomedov had won bronze in the last edition of the tournament and the World Championships in 2018. Georgia’s Avtandil Kentchadze, who won silver in the 2018 World Championships, will also be a man to look out for as he will be eyeing for a maiden gold in the European Championships. In 2017, Kentchadze won the European Championships gold in the U23 category.
The contenders in the group include, World Champion Beka Lomtadze of Georgia, 2019 European Champion Arsen Harutyunyun of Armenia and Russia’s Alexander Bogomoev in the 61kg category.
Dato Marsagishvili, who has a European Championships gold medal in his name, and Turkey’s Fateh Erdin will meet in the first round of the 86kg category. Other line-up includes Slovakia’s Boris Makoyev versus Stephan Reichmuth of Switzerland, Azerbaijan’s Abubakr Abakarov versus Ivars Savusonoks of Latvia and Russia’s Arthur Naifonov, who owns two World Championships gold and a European Championship title, versus Akmed Adamovich of Bulgaria.
Preliminary round of the 92 kg category will see Batyrbek Tsakulov of Russia meet Georgi Rubaev of Moldovia. Irakli Mtsituri of Georgia and Azerbaijan’s Aslanbek Alborov are other contenders in the category.
Three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia will start his campaign against Spain’s Jose Vazquez in the 125 kg category. Russia’s Baldan Tsyzhipov, Daniel Ligeti of Hungary and Ukrain’s Oleksandr Khotsianvisky are the other challengers.
