#GrecoMonday: Looking at the Olympic weight class results from the European Championships

Photo of Olympic and three-time World champion Artur Aleksanyan of Armenia.

While there were no Olympic spots on the line at the 2020 European Championships, the tournament gave us some insight into which wrestlers could represent their countries at the European Olympic Games Qualifier in March and potentially the Olympic Games. If a wrestler placed in the top five at an Olympic weight class at the 2019 World Championships, they already qualified their country for the Olympic Games, and the country will not have a representative at the qualifier.

It should be noted that wrestlers that earned spots for Russia may be competing in the 2020 Olympic Games as individuals but not technically representing Russia in wake of the doping scandal.

Let’s take a look at the 2020 European Championships Olympic weight class Greco-Roman medalists.

60 kg Place Winners
Gold –Gevorg Gharibyan (Armenia)
Silver – Kerem Kamal (Turkey)
Bronze – Murad Bazarov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Amiran Shavadze (Georgia)

Gold medalist Gevorg Gharibyan of Armenia had an excellent showing at his first event since his 33rd place performance at the 2019 World Championships. Gharibyan also finished 12th at the 2018 World Championships. While his strong performance at the European Championships might make Gharibyan the likely candidate to attempt to qualify the weight class for Armenia, they could also elect to give Slavik Galstyan a chance. Galstyan was a bronze medalist at 63 kg at the 2019 World Championships. He did not compete at the European Championships and has seen no action at 60 kg, so it might not be feasible.

2019 Junior World champion Kerem Kamal of Turkey finished in second place. Kamal also wrestled at the Senior World Championships, where he finished 21st. Given the young Kamal’s pedigree and potential, it seems likely Turkey will select him as their representative at the qualifier.

Bronze medalist Murad Bazarov of Azerbaijan was a Junior World champion at 55 kg in 2012 and a Youth Olympic Games champion at 42 kg in 2010. However, Bazarov has not done much at the Senior level and has never competed at a Senior World Championship.  Eldaniz Azizli, a 2018 World champion at 55 kg who finished with bronze at the 2019 Worlds, could be an alternative option to try to qualify the weight class. However, Azizli competed at 55 kg at the European Championships placing third, meaning that he might not be big enough to be competitive at 60 kg.

The other bronze medalist was Amiran Shavadze of Georiga. Given that Shavadze has only wrestled several tournaments over the last few years it seems unlikely that Georgia will use him to try to qualify the weight. 2019 Senior World champion at 55 kg, Nugzari Tsurtsumia competed at 55 kg and placed third. Similarly to Azerbaijan’s situation with Azizli, Tsurtsumia may just lack the size for 60 kg.

67 kg Place Winners
Gold – Morten Thoresen (Norway)
Silver – Nazir Abdullaev (Russia)
Bronze – Kristupas Sleiva (Lithuania)
Bronze – Karen Aslanyan (Armenia)

Morten Thoresen of Norway struck gold at 67 kg. In 2019, Thoresen took 20th at the Senior World Championships and 12th at the U23 World Championships. In the finals Thoresen defeated Nazie Abdullaev of Russia, 3-2. Thoresen seems like the clear candidate to attempt to qualify the weight for Norway.

Artem Surkov already qualified the weight class for Russia by placing second at the 2019 World Championships, and it seems highly unlikely that Abdullaev would be their Olympic representative.

Kristupas Sleiva of Lithuania finished with a bronze medal. Sleiva was 14th at the 2019 U23 World Championships and finished 21st at the 2017 Senior World Championships. A wrestler more likely to attempt qualifying the weight for Lithuania is Edgaras Venckaitis, who finished 13th at the 2019 Senior World Championships. Venckaitis is a two-time Olympian and nine-time World Team member. His best finish was in 2014 when he took bronze.

Karen Aslanyan of Armenia was the second bronze medalist. He has represented Armenia at the past three World Championships and placed 14th in 2019.  He is a 2013 Junior World champion and 2014 Junior World silver medalist. While Aslanyan could attempt to qualify the weight, the duty might also fall to Slavik Galstyan, depending on which weight class he decided to make an Olympic run in.

77 kg Place Winners
Gold – Sanan Suleymanov (Azerbaijan)
Silver – Zotlan Levai (Hungary)
Bronze – Alex Michel Bjurgberg Kessidis (Sweden)
Bronze – Chalyan Karapet (Armenia)

In his first tournament at 77 kg, Sanan Suleymanov of Azerbaijan took gold. Last year at 72 kg, Suleymanov finished eighth at the Senior World Championships second at the U23 World Championships. His run to the finals included a, 5-3, victory over 2019 World bronze medalist at 72 kg, Aik Mnatsakanian of Bulgaria. Suleymanov may or may not be Azerbaijan’s choice to qualify the weight given that 2016 Olympian and two-time World bronze Medalist Elvin Mursaliev went 77 kg for Azerbaijan at the 2019 World Championships. Mursaliev finished in 16th place.

Additionally, Azerbaijan has 2019 World silver medalist Rafik Huseynov at 82 kg. Huseynov also competed at the European Championships at 82 kg, where he took gold. If he chooses to drop a weight class, he could be a formidable opponent.

Zotlan Levai of Hungary, who finished second, also had an impressive tournament. Levai defeated Alex Michel Bjurgberg Kessidis of Sweden, the 2019 World silver medalist, 4-0 in the opening round. Levai finished ninth at 82 kg at the 2019 World Championships. He will have a tough time becoming earning the Olympic spot given that Hungary has returning World champion Tamas Lorincz at the weight class.

Kessidis would battle back to take bronze. He is the frontrunner to be Sweden’s representative for the Olympic Games after qualifying the weight class with his silver-medal finish at Worlds

Chalyan Karapet of Armenia also took bronze. Karapet qualified the weight class by taking fifth at the 2019 World Championships. A 2013 Junior World champion, Karapet seems to be the frontrunner for the Olympic spot.

87 kg Place Winners
Gold – Semen Novikov (Ukraine)
Silver – Viktor Lorincz (Hungary)
Bronze – Aleksandr Komarov (Russsia)
Bronze – Islam Abbsov (Azerbaijan)

Two-time U23 World champion Semen Novikov of Ukraine claimed gold at 87 kg. Novikov defeated 2019 World silver medalist Viktor Lorincz in the finals, 7-1. Ukraine already qualified the weight class when Zhan Beleniuk took gold at the 2019 World Championships. Beleniuk, who also won a title in 2015 and was a finalist in 2018, has to be considered the favorite to be the Olympic representative. However, Novikov is making that decision more difficult.

Lorincz, brother of World champion Tamas, already qualified the weight class with his silver medal showing at Worlds and will most likely be the Olympic representative at this weight class for Hungary.

Aleksandr Komarov of Russia, who finished 11th at the 2019 World Championships, earned one of the bronze medals. Komarov, a four-time age-group-level World champion (two Junior titles and two Cadet titles), competed primarily at 82 kg in 2019. For the Olympic year, he seems fully committed to 87 kg, the only weight class he has competed in since the World Championships.

The other bronze medalist was Islam Abbasov of Azerbaijan. Abbasov finished 18th at the World Championships last year and has finished fifth in 2017 and 2018. Additionally, he took bronze at the U23 World Championships in 2017 and 2018, silver at the 2015 Junior World Championships. He is two-time Cadet World champion and a 2014 Junior World champion. While Abbasov seems likely to represent Azerbaijan in their attempt to qualify the weight class, he could also be challenged by Huseynov if he moves up a weight class.

97 kg Place Winners
Gold – Artur Aleksanyan (Armenia)
Silver – Nikoloz Kakhelashvili (Italy)
Bronze – Cenk Ildem (Turkey)
Bronze – Aleksandr Golovin (Russia)

2016 Olympic gold medalist Artur Aleksanyan took gold at 97 kg. Aleksanyan, who also took bronze in the 2012 Olympic Games, is a three-time World champion and two-time runner-up. Last year he was forced to injury default out of the World finals. Barring injury, Aleksanyan will represent Armenia for a third-straight Olympic Games.

Italy will most likely look to European Championships silver medalist Nikoloz Kakhelashvili to qualify the weight class. Kakhelashvili was a 2015 Junior World champion for Georgia before competing for Italy. Earlier this year he won the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Tournament in Rome, Italy.

Cenk Ildem, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist for Turkey, finished with bronze. Ildem also won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships, qualifying the weight class for Turkey. He will most likely be their representative.

Aleksandr Golovin of Russia also earned a bronze medal. Golovin, a two-time U23 World champion, will most likely be stuck behind two-time Senior World champion Musa Evloev, who qualified the spot with his gold in 2019.

130 kg Place Winners
Gold – Alin Alexuc Ciurariu (Romania)
Silver – Levan Arabuli (Georgia)
Bronze – Mykola Kuchmii (Ukraine)
Bronze – Jello Krahmaer (Germany)

Two-time Olympian Alin Alexcu Ciurariu took first for Rominia. Alexuc Ciurariu finished 14th at the 2019 World Championships, and seems to be the wrestler Romania will send to qualify the weight class.

Levan Arabuli of Georgia finished with a silver medal. Arabuli has competed at two Senior World Championships, finishing 11th in 2013 and seventh in 2017. Georgia already had Iakobi Kajaia qualify the weight class by finishing in third at the 2019 World Championships. It seems more likely that Kajaia will be the Georgian representative at the Olympic Games.

Mykola Kuchmii of Ukraine pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament when he defeated the 2019 World champion Riza Kayaalp of Turkey, 5-1, in the quarterfinals. Kuchmii finished 19th at last year’s World Championships and third at the European Games. Kuchmii also represented Ukraine at the 2017 World Championships, where he finished fifth. He will most likely be relied on to qualify the weight class for Ukraine.

The final bronze medalist is Jello Krahmaer of Germany. Krahmaer is a 2017 U23 World bronze medalist but had not represented Germany at the Senior World Championships. Eduard Popp finished fifth at the 2019 World Championships and qualified the weight class for Germany. Popp also finished fifth at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 and 2014 World Championships. He will most likely make a return to the Olympic Games in 2020.