TIRANA, Albania — At the 2026 European Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Turkish Greco-Roman heavyweight Rıza Kayaalp has taken a significant step toward rewriting the history books, advancing to the 130 kg final with the opportunity to secure a record-breaking 13th European Championship gold medal.
Kayaalp, who entered the tournament already tied with the legendary Aleksandr Karelin on 12 European golds, demonstrated his trademark physical dominance and tactical poise throughout the early rounds. In his opening match he fell his Armenian opponent Albert Vardanyan, before edging a closely contested bout against Marat Kamparov, advancing with a 1-1 score on criteria.
The semifinal brought drama in Kayaalp’s favour after he built a commanding 4-0 lead against Belarusian U23 World Champion Pavel Hlinchuk. The contest ended prematurely after Hlinchuk was disqualified for striking Kayaalp, cementing the Turk’s place in the title bout.
In the final, Kayaalp is set to face Darius Attila Vitek of Hungary, a 2025 World silver medallist, in what promises to be a high-stakes showdown. A victory would elevate Kayaalp to an unprecedented 13 European Championship titles — one clear of Karelin’s long-standing record — and further solidify his status as one of Greco-Roman wrestling’s all-time greats.
Kayaalp’s continental medal haul already includes 12 golds and 2 silvers at the European Championships, reflecting remarkable consistency at the highest level of the sport over more than a decade.
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