Rıza Kayaalp has won 11 European titles in his career ©Getty Images

Turkey’s Rıza Kayaalp earned his 11th gold medal at the European Wrestling Championships in Budapest on the first day of men’s Greco-Roman finals in the Hungarian capital.

The four-time world champion and three-time Olympic medallist has been the dominant force in the men’s heavyweight event at the European Championships.

Kayaalp won his first European title back in 2010, the first of three at the 120kg weight with his subsequent triumphs coming when the competition became a 130kg category.

The Turkish wrestler overcame Italy’s Danila Sotnikov 4-0 in the gold medal match today to extend his continental domination.

Kayaalp has won 12 of the past 14 European Championship titles, with the European Games doubling at the event in 2015.

Kayaalp was beaten in the 2011 final, while he was defeated in the quarter-finals in 2020.

Finland’s Konsta Maeenpaeae and Hungary’s Dariusz Vitek earned bronze medals in the division, beating Germany’s Franz Richter and Azerbaijan’s Beka Kandelaki respectively.

Denmark’s Turpan Bisultanov produced a dominant display to win the men’s 87kg title, outscoring his opponents 35-0 during the competition.

Bisultanov overcame Romania’s Nicu Ojog 8-0 in the gold medal match, while Azerbaijan’s Islam Abbasov and Georgia’s Robert Kobliashvili won bronze.

Armenia’s Malkhas Amoyan triumphed in the 77kg division, marking a successful step up to the weight category.

Amoyan is the reigning world champion in the 72kg event, while he was the silver medallist at the European Championships last year.

He clinched 77kg gold by earning a 4-3 win over Turkey’s Yunus Basar in the final.

Azerbaijan’s Sanan Suleymanov and Bulgaria’s Aik Mnatsakanian completed the podium places in the event.

The 55kg and 63kg final saw contests between wrestlers from Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Azerbaijan’s Eldaniz Azizli won the 55kg title for the second time in his career, with the 2018 champion beating Nugzari Tsurtsumia of Georgia 8-2.

Armenia’s Rudik Mkrtchyan and Turkey’s Emre Mutlu won the division’s bronze medal bouts.

Leri Abuladze avenged Tsurtsumia’s defeat in the 63kg competition, with the Georgian beating Azerbaijan’s Taleh Mammadov 3-1.

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Hryshyn and Turkey’s Ahmet Uyar claimed bronze medals.

The European Championships are due to conclude tomorrow with the remaining men’s Greco-Roman weight divisions.