RUSSIANS BAG 2 GOLD IN WRESTLING GRECO-ROMAN EVENTS
Norman Vergara

AHN
August 12, 2008 6:33 p.m. EST
allheadlinenews.com

Beijing, China (AHN) – Russia delivered promptly when the gold was
at stake, winning two in wrestling when its wrestlers won in two
Greco-Roman events in Beijing Tuesday.

Nazyr Mankiev, a bronze medalist in the 2007 world championships,
stunned the field by winning the gold over Azerbaijan’s Rovshan
Bayramov 4-3, 2-2 in a best-of-three match in the 55-kilogram class.

Islam-Beka Alkiev, who was eighth in last year’s World, also was
victorious in the 60-kg class, beating Vitaliy Rahimov, a 14th-placer
in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Mankiev advanced to the finals by defeating three-time world champion
Hamid Soryan of Iran, then outclassed the two-time European champion
Bayramov.

Roman Amoyan of Armenia and Park Eun-Chul of South Korea settled for
the bronze in the 55-kg division.

Alkiev drubbed Rahimov 2-0, 4-0 in the finals. The bronze medal went to
Kazakhstan’s Nurbakyt Tengizbayev and Kyrgyzstan’s Ruslan Tiumenbaev.

Two finals events are slated Wednesday afternoon in Beijing, with
the 66-kg and 74-kg Greco-Roman competitions.