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Legendary Turkish wrestler Riza Kayaalp returned to competition after more than 20 months away from the mat, capturing the gold medal in the men's 130-kilogram Greco-Roman category at the Zagreb Open Wrestling Tournament in Croatia.
The 36-year-old athlete, whose career includes three Olympic medals, five world championships and 12 European titles, dominated his opponents throughout the competition despite the extended hiatus. Kayaalp competed in the first ranking series tournament of 2025, surrendering just one point across four matches.
Kayaalp defeated American wrestler Aden Ikaika Hammar Attao in the preliminaries before securing a 9-0 technical superiority victory over Georgia's Rati Talikishvili in the quarterfinals. He advanced through the semifinals with a 4-0 win against Kazakhstan's Olzhas Syrlybay, then claimed the championship by defeating American Cohlton Michael Schultz 7-1 in the final.
The wrestler had been sidelined since receiving a four-year suspension in July 2024 for use of a banned substance. Kayaalp contested the penalty, explaining he had taken medication called Vastarel to treat tinnitus, a condition causing ringing in the ears.
He appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which accepted his case and cleared him to return to competition beginning January 1, 2026. His last official match had been at the Polyak Imre and Varga Janos Memorial Tournament in Hungary in June 2024.
Kayaalp currently shares the distinction of most European championship titles with Russian wrestler Aleksandr Karelin, each holding 12 continental gold medals. The Turkish athlete will have an opportunity to claim sole possession of the record at the 2026 European Wrestling Championships in April.
The tournament represents another milestone in a career that has established Kayaalp as one of the sport's most decorated competitors in the heavyweight Greco-Roman division.
Türkiye finished the Zagreb Open with three gold medals, one silver and one bronze across the Greco-Roman and women's categories. Yuksel Saricicek and Buse Tosun Cavusoglu joined Kayaalp as gold medalists, while Nesrin Bas earned silver and Omer Halis Recep took bronze.
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