The Hungarian Greco-Roman wrestlers are returning from the European Championships in Tirana with an impressive record. While Zoltán Lévai secured bronze in the new weight category up to 82 kg with technical brilliance, Alex Szőke fought his way to a silver medal in the 97 kg category in a hard match.
Zoltán Lévai proved that he is also a force to be reckoned with in the higher 82 kg weight class. The 30-year-old athlete, who had previously won European and World Championship silver medals (then still at 77 kg), crowned his performance on Wednesday by winning the bronze medal through technical fall.
After a confident opening win against Czech wrestler Michal Zelenka and a narrow quarterfinal defeat to Russia’s Adlet Tyulyubayev, Lévai had the chance to take revenge on himself in the bronze medal match. Against Croatian World Championship bronze medalist Karlo Kodrić, he initially fell behind 2–0 after a shoulder throw, but remained calm.
Zoltán Lévai (in red) and Croatia’s Karlo Kodrić in the bronze match. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor
With a lightning-fast counter series and four consecutive gut-wrenching turns on the ground, he quickly turned the match around to 9–2.
Shortly before the break, the Hungarian wrestler sealed the deal. He countered a desperate attack from the Croatian, gained top position, and won early by technical superiority, 11–2.
“This medal is an important confirmation of our hard work,” said Lévai after the match. “I did not panic. After a two-point move by the opponent, there is always time to turn it around,” he added.
In the 97 kg final, the highly anticipated clash took place between Alex Szőke and defending champion Kiril Milov of Bulgaria.
For the Hungarian wrestler, the tournament marked the end of a difficult period defined by injury and a missed Olympic qualification for Paris.
Alex Szőke (in blue) and Bulgaria’s Kiril Milov in the final. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor
In a tactically driven final, both athletes gave nothing away. After Kiril Milov used a passivity period in the first round to score with a turn for a 3–0 lead over Alex Szőke, the Hungarian gave everything in the second half. Despite a painful trapezius muscle strain he had suffered in the semifinal, Szőke relentlessly pressed forward. Milov was twice warned for passivity, but the Hungarian was unable to secure the decisive scoring move on the ground. In the end, the scoreboard read 3–1.
Despite missing out on gold, Szőke remains positive about the future.
“It hurts, but I feel that after this difficult period, the old—or an even better, new Alex—is back,” the Hungarian athlete said.
National coach Viktor Lőrincz expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance. “It was an evenly matched battle. Whoever wants to win must execute the technical action in the end—that was missing today. But overall, we performed excellently,” he summarized.
The six-man Greco-Roman team finished the European Championships with a total of four medals. In addition to Szőke’s silver, heavyweight wrestler Dárius Vitek also won silver, while alongside Lévai (82 kg), Róbert Fritsch earned a bronze medal. With these results behind them, the Hungarian wrestlers are now looking ahead optimistically to the upcoming World Championships.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Illyés Tibor
