Uzbekistani Artur Taymazov brought down the curtain on wrestling at the Beijing Olympic Games with a repeat of his gold medal performance four years ago, winning the men's 120kg category title here on Thursday.

Taymazov defeated junior world champion Bakhtiyar Akhmedov of Russia 2-0, becoming the third wrestler to successfully defend the title at the Beijing Games. The other two are Russian Mavelt Batirov in 60kg category and Buvaysa Saytiev in 74kg class.

"I have prepared for this moment for a long time. Nothing except a gold can satisfy me," said Taymazov. "I maintained a good stage last year but I couldn't manage to make achievement in World Championships. This year, I did it with my good form."

"Each of my opponents was strong but the semifinal opponent was the most difficult. Of course the final was difficult too."

The 29-year-old who also won a silver in the Sydney Games, said that "I can't compare my three Olympic Games. Each one was difficult for me. I would like to give this gold to my country people, and to those who love me, trust me and respect me. I'm happy I did not disappoint them."

The bronze at 120kg went to David Musulbes of Slovakia, who won gold for Russia at Sydney 2000 Games, and Marid Mutalimov of Kazakhstan.

In the 84kg class, 32-year-old former world champion Revazi Mindorshvili of Georgia rallied with seven unanswered points in the second and third periods for a 2-1 (2-3, 3-0, 4-0) win over Yusup Abdulsalomov, who gave Tajikistanits its first medal in Olympic wrestling and also its second medal in Beijing.

And Mindorashvili who stunned gold-medal favourite Russian Georgy Ketoev in the semifinal, awarded Georgia its second wrestling gold and also its third at the Beijing Games.

"Abdusalomov was a very strong opponent and I lost to him in the only time we met," said Mindorashvili. "But the victory proved that I did better this time."

The bronze medals were won by world champion Ketoev and former European champion Taras Danko of Ukraine.

In the 96kg category, Shirvani Muradov of Russia scored a single-leg takedown and ran out the clock on the clinch in the second period to become the third straight Russian to win freestyle title in Beijing, defeating Taimuraz Tigiyev of Kazakhstan.

In all, Russia won six wrestling golds at the Beijing games, three in Greco-Roman and three in freestyle, which is one more than that they got in the Athens Games.

The bronze medals at 96kg went to former world champion Georgr Gogshelidze of Georgia and Khetag Gazyumov of Azerbaijan.

Source: Xinhua