Video: After Three Impressive Victories, Harutyunyan Fails to Win in Quarterfinals at Wrestling World Championships

In the 57 kg weight category, Arsen Harutyunyan suffered a defeat in the quarterfinals, losing 14:16 to Japanese wrestler Rei Higuchi at the ongoing World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade after three impressive victories.

Earlier, in the qualification round, Arsen Harutyunyan triumphed with a commanding 14:3 over Ukraine's Kamil Kerimov, then defeated Italian Simone Vincenzo Piordui 14:2 in the 1/16 finals, and edged out the 2022 European Champion from North Macedonia, Vladimir Egorov, with an 11:0 victory in the 1/8 finals.

In the quarterfinals, Harutyunyan faced Olympic silver medalist Rei Higuchi, a rival he had previously lost to in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Championship. Unfortunately, Harutyunyan was unable to achieve revenge, falling to a close 14:16 defeat. However, this does not mean that Arsen has lost his chance for an Olympic quota. If the Japanese wrestler reaches the finals, our athlete will have the opportunity to fight for a bronze medal and simultaneously qualify for the Olympics through a consolation match.

In the 74 kg weight category, Hrayr Alihanyan narrowly lost to Venezuela's Anthony Chirinos with a score of 7:6 in his opening match. Ecuadorian Jamal Spartan Abdula was his second opponent in the tournament. Alihanyan celebrated a clean victory and advanced to the 1/8 finals, where he faced Turkish wrestler Soner Demirtaş, a three-time European champion and bronze medalist of the Olympic Games and World Championships. Unfortunately, our wrestler lost 0:3. But if Demirtaş reaches the finals, Alihanyan, like Arsen Harutyunyan, will have a chance to compete for a bronze medal and an Olympic ticket through a consolation match.

In the 79 kg weight category, Arman Avagyan faced Azerbaijani Orkhan Abasov in the 1/8 finals. The opponent won the match.

This evening, Arman Andreasyan is set to compete for a bronze medal against Indian wrestler Abhimanyu Abhimanyu in the 70 kg weight category. It should be noted that in each Olympic weight category, 5 tickets will be allocated. The top four medalists in each weight category, along with the winner of an additional match between the two wrestlers who lost the bronze medal match, will secure their Olympic quota.