Azerbaijan claims two silver medals at Beijing Olympics

Two Azerbaijani wrestlers won silver medals at the Olympics in Beijing on Tuesday.

Greco-Roman wrestler Vitali Rahimov, who was a step away from victory, lost to his Russian opponent, Islambek Albiyev, in the 66 kg final.

Rahimov had proceeded to the final after beating a wrestler from China, the Romanian world champion, the two-time Olympic champion from Bulgaria in the quarter final, and his Kazakh opponent in the semi-final.

Another Azerbaijani wrestler, Rovshan Bayramov, who competed in the 55 kg bracket, lost to his Russian opponent, Nazar Mankiyev, in the final match.

Bayramov had cruised to the final after sealing overwhelming wins over his rivals from Egypt, Cuba and Armenia.

Azerbaijan has claimed three medals at the Olympics so far. On Monday, Azerbaijani judo wrestler Elnur Mammadli, 20, sealed a stunning win over 19-year-old world champion Wang Ki Chun, in just 13 seconds of the men's 73kg final. He won with a te-guruma (leg grab) attack that scored ippon, claiming the country’s first gold medal at the Olympics. President Ilham Aliyev who attended the awarding ceremony congratulated the Azerbaijani athlete on his success.*