Albania has celebrated a major success at the Mediterranean Games “Taranto 2026”, with wrestler Islam Dudaev winning the country’s first gold medal.
Dudaev triumphed in the men’s freestyle wrestling event in the 74-kilogram category. He secured the title after his opponent, North Macedonia’s Fati Vejseli, withdrew from the final because of an injury. At the time of the stoppage, Dudaev was leading the match.
The victory marks another important achievement in Dudaev’s career. Originally from Dagestan, Russia, he has represented Albania since 2022 and has already collected several major international medals, including an Olympic bronze and European medals.
Meanwhile, Albania also added a silver medal in wrestling. Zelimkhan Abakarov finished second in the 65-kilogram freestyle category after losing 4–2 to Turkey’s Ahmet Duman in the final.
A day earlier, Ardit Zeneli won bronze in the 67-kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling category after beating Greece’s Stavros Ntounias 9–8.
As a result, Albania now has three wrestling medals at Taranto 2026: one gold, one silver and one bronze.
Dudaev’s victory has given the Albanian delegation a strong start and marked a historic moment for Albanian wrestling on the Mediterranean stage.
/a.c/
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