Two Bulgarian wrestlers are just steps away from the finals of the European Cadet Wrestling Championships in Samokov. Radoslav Velikov (45 kg) and Nikolay Iliev (71 kg) have both advanced to the semi-finals in freestyle wrestling, which begin at 5 PM local time.

Velikov has secured two decisive victories so far. He defeated Belarusian Alexander Hamau 7-0 and Romanian Daniel Matei 11-0. In the semi-finals, he will face Armenian Eric Gazaryan.

Iliev has also had a strong showing at 71 kg, recording three wins. He beat Turkish wrestler Cemal Purcu 7-5, Romanian Abel Casco 11-0, and Hungarian Mark Zemen 10-0. His semi-final opponent will be Ukrainian Dmitro Kursenko.

Other Bulgarian representatives lost in today’s matches, but two wrestlers still have a chance to compete in the repechage if their opponents advance to the finals. Hristiyon Lazarov (51 kg) and Hristo Yanachkov (60 kg) are the hopefuls for this opportunity.

Georgi Hristov (92 kg) was eliminated in the earlier rounds.

This evening, three Bulgarians will compete in the finals: Stefan Stefanov (110 kg) will fight for the title, while Meret Mustafov (55 kg) and Petko Sarakostov (65 kg) will vie for bronze medals.

The finals are scheduled to start at 6 PM local time.