Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijani wrestlers won multiple medals, including four gold medals, at the Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilgen Memorial Wrestling Tournament in Kocaeli, Turkiye, AzerNEWS reports.

In freestyle wrestling, Ruslan Abdullayev (65 kg) claimed the gold medal, while Musa Agayev (65 kg) earned bronze.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, Ruslan Nurullayev (72 kg) and Tuncay Vazirzade (87 kg) won gold medals, and Nihat Mammadli (63 kg) took bronze.

On the opening day of the competition, Azerbaijani athletes also achieved strong results. Khetag Karsanov (125 kg) won a silver medal and Ramik Heybatov (70 kg) secured bronze in freestyle wrestling.

In Greco-Roman wrestling, Serkhan Mammadov (130 kg) earned silver, while Beka Kandelaki added another bronze medal in the heavyweight category.

The Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilge Memorial Wrestling Tournament was organized in memory of two legendary Turkish wrestlers, Hasan Gemici and Gazanfer Bilge, who made significant contributions to the country's wrestling history.

Both athletes became Olympic champions, with Gemici winning gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and Bilge claiming Olympic gold at the 1948 London Games. Their achievements continue to serve as inspiration for future generations of wrestlers.

The competition brought together wrestlers from different countries to compete across various weight categories.

Around 600 athletes, coaches, and team officials from 16 countries participated in the event, including representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, France, the United States, Georgia, India, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and other nations. Athletes competed in 20 weight categories in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.