Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp crowned European champion for 8th time

Turkish wrestler Rıza Kayaalp clinched a gold medal at European Wrestling Championships in Russia's Kaspiysk late Tuesday in the men's Greco-Roman category for the eighth time.

Beating Russia's Vitalii Shchur 2-1, he equalized the record of fellow Turkish wrestler Hamza Yerlikaya.

Kayaalp, a 28-year-old athlete from central Yozgat province, competed in the men's 130-kilogram category.

Last year, in the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris Kayaalp had also bagged the gold medal for Turkey.

The athlete claimed the title two times before at the 2011 championships in Istanbul and the 2015 games in Las Vegas.

The national athlete also received a silver medal at the Rio Games in 2016.