Two More Medals at the European Wrestling Championships

Ismail Musukaev winning against Seyfulla Itaev at the European Championships.

Ismail Musukaev, representing Hungary in the 70 kg freestyle category, and Vladislav Bajacayev, competing in the 97 kg category, both won bronze medals at the European Wrestling Championships in Bucharest on Saturday.

World and European champion Ismail Musukaev, who won last year’s World Championships title in the 65 kg category, thereby earning the Olympic quota, has moved up a weight category in the Romanian capital. In Saturday’s qualifying round, he faced Seyfulla Itaev, who was competing in French colors. The 31-year-old Hungarian started the match cautiously, but the Frenchman was clearly afraid of him and did not dare to take any risks. Musukaev then decided to attack after forty seconds, and with a lightning quick move he attacked to the waist, then caught his rival’s leg and got behind him (2-0). The Hungarian could not continue the action and seemed content with his two-point lead.

In the second round, the Hungarian was only concerned with preventing his rival from taking any action on him, even when the judges warned him for passivity (2-1). In the last minute and a half, the Frenchman was visibly trying hard, but he had no chance of action, and that meant Musukaev finished the continental tournament with a bronze medal.

After his 2022 European Championships gold medal, Musukaev was able to stand on the podium for the second time at the continental championships,

and also won the second medal for the Hungarian delegation in Bucharest, where Bernadett Nagy finished third in the 76 kg on Thursday.

Vladislav Baitcaev, of North Ossetian descent, only started in the quarter-finals on Friday after his opponent in the last 16, two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev of Russia, was denied entry to the country. Baitcaev won his first match with confidence, but was beaten in the semi-finals by Azerbaijan’s Magomedkhan Magomedov.

Baitcaev had a chance to improve in Saturday’s final against Batyrbek Tsakulov, who was competing in Slovakian colors.

The two wrestlers know each other well and perhaps that is why they fought with extreme caution, taking minimal risks throughout almost the entire match. The first round saw virtually no action, with the only point of the round going to the slightly less passive Baitcaev.

In the second round, the game did not change much. Having fallen behind his rival, Baitcaev became more active and looked for attacking opportunities. His Slovak opponent fought spectacularly defensively. Baitcaev eventually won 4-1, securing his bronze medal.

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Magyar Birkózók Szövetsége – Hungarian Wrestling Federation