Turkish wrestler Taha Akgül won his ninth European title Wednesday as the Turkish team capped the championship second behind Azerbaijan with six medals, including two gold medals that brought the country's total tally to 101 in continental tournaments.
Olympic champion Akgül carried the 125 kg. freestyle tie in the Hungarian capital Budapest against his Georgian opponent Geno Petriashvili 5-2, winning his ninth European gold.
"I've made nine out of nine in the European championship. I was injured in 2016, I'm not counting that, I had to withdraw from the match. Thank God, it is a historic record. I've improved my own record," Akgül said, adding that he had his sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Earlier, Turkish athlete Feyzullah Aktürk brought Turkey its 100th gold medal in the European championships after defeating Ahmed Sultanovich Bataev of Bulgaria in the 92 kg. final.
In total, Turkey has reached 327 medals in its European championships history, including 88 silver and 138 bronze medals.
With 141 points and six medals, Turkey finished the tournament second behind Azerbaijan, which collected 159 points and seven medals. Süleyman Atlı (61 kg.) won a bronze medal for the Turkish team, while Münir Recep Aktaş (65 kg.), Muhammet Akdeniz (79 kg.) and Osman Göçen (86 kg.) clinched bronze medals, respectively.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was among the Turkish officials and celebrities that celebrated Akgül and Aktürk's wins, congratulating both in a message posted on his Twitter account.
Yasemin Adar Yiğit and Evin Demirhan Yavuz will be competing for gold and Bedia Gün for bronze on Thursday, whereas four Turkish female athletes will also take the mat for qualifying matches.
