Greco-Roman wrestling: Roman Vlasov wins 74kg gold

Greco-Roman wrestling: Roman Vlasov wins 74kg gold

Reigning world champion Roman Vlasov of Russia beat Armenia’s Arsen
Julfalakyan to take the men’s 74kg Greco-Roman wrestling gold.

Vlasov, 21, showed maturity beyond his years in spoiling and repelling
Julfalakyan’s assaults and scoring the minimum needed to win the
final.

A gut wrench took the first period for the Russian with a par terre
defence in the second securing the contest.

Former Commonwealth Games wrestler “Roman Vlasov showed his class. He
wasn’t interested in attacking at all – he took it to par terre and,
as he is so fit and agile, the world champion became the Olympic
champion. He’s a classy Russian.”
Julfalakyan, whose father won gold in Seoul in 1988, took the silver medal.

Vlasov beat the long-time world number one Selcuk Cebi in his rival’s
home town of Istanbul in 2011 to win the World Championship, and
followed it up this year with the European title in March.

Julfalakyan, meanwhile, had not lost a period en route to the final,
so both wrestlers entered ExCel Centre in good form.

But Vlasov dominated, his height advantage accompanied by better
balance and more finesse, while Julfalakyan’s bullying style only
achieved so much. After two periods the gold was very much the
Russian’s.

The two bronzes in the 74kg division were awarded to Aleksandr
Kazakevic of Lithuania and Emin Ahmadov of Azerbaijan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19141134