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Turkish wrestler Hakan Buyukcingi earned a bronze medal in the freestyle 125-kilogram category at the 2026 European Wrestling Championships in Albania. He defeated Armenia's Khachatur Khachatryan 6-2 in the third-place match on the final day in Tirana.
This is Buyukcingi's first medal in a senior European championship.
Buyukcingi moved through the bracket by pinning Ukraine's Volodymyr Kochanov in the preliminary round, then winning 6-5 against Shamil Musaev, a United World Wrestling representative, in the quarterfinals. He lost in the semifinals to Giorgi Meshvildishvili, who wrestles for Azerbaijan.
After the match, Buyukcingi thanked his support team. "This success does not come alone," he said. "My coaches, our doctor, our masseur, everyone believed in me."
The 125-kilogram category is especially important in Turkish wrestling. Türkiye Wrestling Federation President Taha Akgul, who won Olympic, world, and European titles in this weight class during his career, watched the bronze medal match from the stands.
Buyukcingi recognized the importance of that legacy. "Our people are used to championships in this weight class," he said. "Our president was a top-level athlete. I am working hard to be like him."
Freestyle Wrestling National Team Technical Director Soner Demirtas said the championship title was close. "There were strong athletes in Hakan's weight class," Demirtas said.
"The championship slipped away by a narrow margin. Our other athletes also competed well. They missed their medals by a small margin, but they fought hard, and I congratulate all of them."
Demirtas also said the team is still developing. "We are a young, new team. Many of our athletes compete in the under-23 category. They need time and experience. We will do everything we can for the success of Turkish wrestling," he said.
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