Bulgaria Fields Two Finalists, One Aims for Bronze in Euro 2026 Junior Wrestling
Bulgaria has two finalists and one competitor vying for bronze in the European Junior Wrestling Championship in Samokov. Ognyan Burgazov (41 kg) and Kamen Lozanov Jr. (52 kg) will compete for gold in the classical wrestling division, while Robert Dimitrov (48 kg) will fight for bronze.
Ognyan Burgazov's Path to the Finals
Burgazov secured his place in the finals with three victories. He defeated Belarus's Khleb Semenenka with a score of 6:0 and later beat Azar Karimov. In the semi-finals, he triumphed over Italian wrestler Nicola Sedicina with a score of 9:0. In the final, Burgazov will face Russian competitor Dmitry Telpiz, marking his first major competition.
Kamen Lozanov Jr.'s Journey
In the 52 kg category, Lozanov Jr. also secured three victories to reach the finals. He defeated Spaniard Sebastian Bonin with a score of 9:0, then beat Serbian wrestler Dragan Tankosic with a technical superiority, and later triumphed over Romanian wrestler Albert Fuzi with a score of 5:3. In the final, he will compete against Russian Dmitry Deriabin. Lozanov Jr. is the grandson of Kamen Lozanov, a world champion and silver medalist from the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
Robert Dimitrov's Bronze Bid
Robert Dimitrov, who lost in the semi-finals to Italian Davide Servedio with a score of 7:14, will fight for bronze. He had been dominant until then, defeating Serbian Pavle Radivojevic with a score of 10:2 and Greek wrestler Alexandros Teresenedis with a technical superiority.
The finals will take place on Thursday evening from 5:30 PM at "Arena Samokov." Admission for spectators is free.
On Thursday, the competition will continue with Angel Stefanov (68 kg), Nikolay Bonev (75 kg), and Kamen Borgudzhisky (85 kg) in the classical division. Additionally, Bulgaria's female representatives will compete for the first time: Stefani Stoenchieva (39 kg), Andrea Petrova (46 kg), Stefani Pandalova (54 kg), and Angela Tercheva (62 kg).
This is an incredible showing for Bulgarian wrestling! Two finalists and a bronze medalist? Unbelievable. How will this performance impact the future of Bulgarian wrestling? Let's see if this is the start of a new golden era!