The Danish wrestler Turpal Bisultanov won European Championship gold on Saturday night in such a convincing style that the final was decided before it even began.
The match between the Danish and the Romanian wrestler Nicu Ojog lasted only six minutes, but it was intense. In fact, Bisultanov scored his first two points after seven seconds. In all, it took him less than a minute to secure the victory and his first European Championship gold medal – in his first season as a senior.
“It’s amazing. I don’t think I’ve realized it yet. It’s hard for me to put into words because it’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid,” Bisultanov said.
Takes every victory
A year ago, Bisultanov won European Championship gold for Greco-Roman wrestlers under 21 years of age.
And just two weeks ago, he won silver in the U23. But now the Dane across all ages is Europe’s best in his weight class.
To celebrate his last victory, the 20-year-old Dane threw himself into a backwards somersault – a jubilant scene that his coach told him to repeat when he won gold.
Before the final, the Danish wrestler had been on the mat three times. He won first with a score of 9-0, then 8-0. In the semifinals, he crushed Italian Mirco Minguzzi by a full 10-0. In his debut on the senior stage, he has not cashed a single point with an overall score of 35-0.
A family relationship
When the Bisultanov family fled war-torn Chechnya, they brought two wrestling masters to Denmark.
Just three years ago, Denmark also won European Championship gold thanks to Bisultanov’s big brother, Rajbek.
Big brother won senior gold at the European Championships a year after triumphing in the juniors – just as Turpal has done now.
“I can not take anything from him. Everything I know and have learned comes from him. It is because of him that I stand here today.
The newly crowned European champion is already looking forward to the next big goal: the World Cup in Belgrade by September.
Source: The Nordic Page