I dedicate my victory to the Armenian soldiers standing on the border, Arsen Harutyunyan, twice European freestyle wrestling champion and World Championship bronze medalist, told NEWS.am Sport.
The 22-year-old Armenian wrestler won a gold medal in the 61 kg weight category at the European Championship in free-style wrestling in Budapest. In the final, Harutyunyan achieved a beautiful 15-3 victory over two-time European champion, vice world champion and European Games bronze medalist Sulaiman Atli of Turkey to become a two-time European champion.
"I was waiting for this victory, I wanted to become European champion for the second time and I succeeded," he said.
"When I found out that the Turkish athlete was my opponent in the final, I decided to do everything I could to win. Since I defeated him in the final, I dedicate my victory to the Armenian soldiers standing on the border," said Harutyunyan.