Artur Aleksanyan: Becoming European champion is always difficult, it gets harder every time

By Lusine Shahbazyan

Becoming European champion is always difficult. Artur Aleksanyan, gold, silver and bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, four-time world champion and now seven-time European champion of Armenia, told this to reporters at Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan.

Last night, the Olympic champion returned to his homeland from Bucharest, along with the rest of the Armenian national Greco-Roman wrestling team.

On Wednesday, Artur Aleksanyan won the champion title for the seventh time at the European Wrestling

Championships being held in Bucharest, the capital of Romania.

"Thank you for the congratulations. I am glad that I won for the seventh time. Every championship is different; this seventh [one] is also different for me. We have suffered, trained, and worked for each victory. Every gold [medal] has its price. (…).

Becoming European champion is always difficult. Every year I feel that everyone is basically preparing against me. In this sense, it gets harder every time, but thank God, I manage to win.

This time I showed [the number] 7 [with my fingers after the match]. I don't know what will happen later. The Olympic Games are ahead, after which it will be clear," said Artur Aleksanyan.

The Olympic champion had faced Magomed Murtazaliev (Russia) in the final of the 97kg category and won gloriously, with a score of 6-3.

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