21.04.2026 22:25
Our national wrestler Rıza Kayaalp defeated his Hungarian opponent Darius Attila Vitek to win the gold medal at the European Championships, becoming the European champion for the 13th time.
National athlete Rıza Kayaalp broke a record by winning his 13th gold medal at the European wrestling championships.
RIZA KAYAALP EUROPEAN CHAMPION FOR THE 13TH TIME
Rıza Kayaalp stepped onto the mat for the record on the second day of the 2026 European Wrestling Championships in Tirana, the capital of Albania. The national wrestler faced Hungary's Darius Attila Vitek in the Greco-Roman 130 kg final. In the day's final match, Rıza, defeating the world silver medalist opponent 7-1, achieved his 13th European championship and entered wrestling history. Rıza took a victory lap on the mat, kissing the Turkish flag.
RIZA KAYAALP THE SOLE OWNER OF THE RECORD
The national wrestler, now the sole owner of the record he previously shared with Russia's Aleksandr Karelin, inscribed his name in sports history with "golden" letters.
Having wrestled in 15 finals in the history of the organization, Rıza has obtained 13 gold and 2 silver medals. The national athlete who left his mark on the European championships; won gold in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2026, and silver in 2011 and 2024.
The "living legend" Rıza Kayaalp, at the championship in Tirana, yesterday defeated Armenia's Albert Vardanyan in the round of 16 and Russia's Marat Kamparov in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final match where Rıza was leading 4-0, Belarus's Pavel Hlinchuk was disqualified from the match due to an illegal move.
5 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, 3 OLYMPIC MEDALS
The national wrestler who broke the record in Albania has reached the top of the podium 5 times at world championships in his career. The experienced wrestler experienced the joy of being world champion in 2011 (Istanbul), 2015 (Las Vegas), 2017 (Paris), 2019 (Astana), and 2022 (Belgrade).
Rıza, who also won 3 silver and 2 bronze medals at world championships, achieved the feat of winning 10 medals in the history of the organization. Rıza Kayaalp won 3 medals at the Olympics: 1 silver and 2 bronze.