Turkey's Kayaalp clinches 10th European wrestling title

ANKARA

Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp won his 10th European Wrestling Championships title on Saturday.

Kayaalp beat Georgia’s Iakobi Kajaia 3-1 in the Greco Roman 130 kg final in Warsaw, Poland to win gold.

The Turk previously won European titles in 2010 as well as every year from 2012 to 2019.

He competed in two Olympics, winning a bronze at the London Games in 2012 and a silver in Rio 2016.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned Kayaalp to congratulate him on winning the title and told the 31-year-old he expects gold during the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.

Erdogan said he expected a "pin" in the final but Kayaalp said he did it in the semifinal.

"I hope to win my 11th European title with a pin," Kayaalp said before adding that Turkish wrestlers are trying their best in tournaments.

Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu posted a message on Twitter congratulating the four-time world champion for shaving success in Warsaw.

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