Arutyunyan has reached the semi-finals of the 2026 European Championship and will face Uguyev

Four-time European champion Arsen Harutyunyan has confidently advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 European Championships, taking place in Tirana.
In the 61 kg weight category, he will face Olympic champion Zaur Uguev for a place in the final.

Harutyunyan delivered a dominant performance in the early rounds, securing two technical victories. He defeated Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia) 11:0, followed by an 11:1 win over Kamil Kerimov (Ukraine).

Uguev, meanwhile, had one bout and won convincingly against Dmitry Shamel (Belarus) with a score of 11:2.

Notably, Harutyunyan and Uguev last met in the final of the previous European Championship. Uguev won that match 7:5, but the close contest showed that the Armenian wrestler can strongly challenge his decorated opponent.

Semifinal matchups (Freestyle, Day 2 – Euro 2026)

Start time: 17:45 (Moscow time)

61 kg

• Arsen Harutyunyan (Armenia) — Zaur Uguev (Russia)
• Zelimkhan Abakarov (Albania) — Nuriddin Novruzov (Azerbaijan)

74 kg

• Murad Kuramagomedov (Hungary) — Taimuraz Salkazanov (Slovakia)
• Giorgi Elbakidze (Georgia) — Turan Bayramov (Azerbaijan)

86 kg

• Vladimeri Gamkrelidze (Georgia) — Ibragim Kadiev (Russia)
• Arseniy Dzhioev (Azerbaijan) — Ivars Samusonok (Latvia)

92 kg

• Amanula Gadjimagomedov (Russia) — Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria)
• Ali Tsokaev (Azerbaijan) — Samuel Scherrer (Switzerland)

125 kg

• Mohsen Siyar (Germany) — Vladislav Baitsaev (Hungary)
• Georgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan) — Hakan Buyukcingil (Turkey)

The main event of the day will be the clash between Harutyunyan and Uguev — one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.