First day of Baku 2015 European Games brings host three gold medals
Xinhua, June 14, 2015 Adjust font size:
Host nation Azerbaijan won its first three gold medals Saturday on the first day of the European Games.
Firdovsi Farzaliyev defeated Italy's Luca Maresca in the men's Kumite -60kg category of the Karate competition, and later the 'Black Panther' Rafael Aghayev took down Luigi Busa in the -75kg class.
Azerbaijan have added third gold to the Baku 2015 medal count as Rasul Chunayev emerged victorious over Hungary's Balint Korpasi in the 71kg category of Greco-Roman wrestling.
Azerbaijan now rank 2nd in the overall medal table, behind Switzerland, whose cyclist Jolanda Neff became the first European Games champion in the women's mountain bike cross-country.
Ilaha Gasimova had won Azerbaijan's first medal of the Games, taking bronze in the women's Kumite -55kg. The 22-year-old defeated Spain's Cristina Ferrer Garcia, with France's Emily Thouy winning the gold medal by beating Croatia's Jelena Kovacevic in the final.
Turkey's Serap Ozcelik won the fiercely contested women's Kumite -50kg title, defeating Austria's Bettina Plank. Alexandra Recchia of France took the bronze. Endi