Albania has opened its medal count at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, and once again it is wrestling carrying the main weight of the country’s sporting result. Ardit Zeneli secured a bronze medal, while Zelimkhan Abakarov and Islam Dudaev have reached the finals, guaranteeing at least silver and keeping the race for gold open.
Zeneli gives Albania its first bronze
Ardit Zeneli won the bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, in the up to 67-kilogram weight class, after defeating Greece’s Stavros Ntounias 9-8.
The match did not start in favor of the Albanian wrestler, but Zeneli responded during the bout and managed to turn it around at the decisive moments, giving Albania its first podium finish in Taranto.
Abakarov in the final, with silver secured
Zelimkhan Abakarov has secured at least the silver medal in freestyle wrestling in the up to 65-kilogram division after qualifying for the final.
He opened the competition with a 3-0 win over Egypt’s Eman and then beat Syria’s Dirki 6-2. Those two victories sent him into the final, where he will face Turkey’s Duman for the gold medal.
Dudaev also advances to the final act
Islam Dudaev has also secured a place in the final in the 74-kilogram category, also in freestyle wrestling. His path to the gold-medal match has been convincing in all the contests held so far.
Dudaev first defeated Kosovo’s Egzon Xhoni 11-2, then beat Greece’s Georgios Ioakeimidis 10-0 in the quarterfinals, and in the semifinals won 3-1 against Spain’s Mohammad Mottaghinia.
In the final, he will face wrestler Fati Vejseli of North Macedonia in a duel that will determine whether Albania can turn guaranteed silver into a gold medal.
Albina Drazhi also enters competition
Also on Monday, Albina Drazhi begins her campaign and will appear in the quarterfinals of freestyle wrestling in the up to 68-kilogram category.
So, after the first medals secured by the men, attention remains on wrestling, the sport that so far is producing the concrete result for the Albanian delegation at these Mediterranean Games.
Zeneli’s bronze and the finals reached by Abakarov and Dudaev place wrestling at the center of Albania’s balance sheet in Taranto.
For the moment, this is the most tangible contribution to Albania’s medal table.