Ivan Nikolchev Rallies After Early Shock to Lift Bulgaria in Cadet -73 kg Final

Ivan Nikolchev was at the center of one of the standout stories in the -73 kg division in Gran Canaria, where the Bulgarian fought his way to the Cadet European title contest. In a category full of surprises from the first hajime, Nikolchev stayed composed and carried his recent form all the way to the final.

The draw had already begun to crack open before the medal matches. Bruno Hristoforov of Estonia and Gonzalo Gayol Granda of Spain both emerged as dangerous outsiders, disrupting the expected path of the seeded athletes. Hristoforov made the first big statement in Pool A by defeating top seed Giorgi Mtchedlishvili of Georgia and booking a semi-final place.

That run ended against Nikolchev, who arrived in Gran Canaria with strong results already behind him on this season's Cadet European Cup circuit. The Bulgarian had collected gold and bronze during the year and came in fresh from victory in Faro. That confidence showed as he kept moving forward through the bracket and earned his place in the gold medal match.

On the other side, Gayol Granda put together a similarly impressive run for Spain. He advanced through Pool D and reached the semi-finals, where he faced second seed Sadig Mammadov of Azerbaijan. Mammadov, ranked world number eight and already a medallist at every Cadet European Cup he had entered this season, confirmed his status with a controlled performance to reach the final.

That set up a compelling clash at -73 kg: Nikolchev for Bulgaria against Mammadov for Azerbaijan, with the European cadet title on the line. The stakes were clear. A win would mean Azerbaijan's fourth continental cadet crown in the category, or only Bulgaria's second.

The final wasted no time delivering drama. Just eight seconds into the opening exchange, Mammadov attacked with sumi-gaeshi and caught Nikolchev for Waza-ari. It was a huge early moment, the kind that can completely change a final before it has even settled.

Eight seconds in, the final had already exploded into life.

For Nikolchev, that opening blow only sharpened the challenge. His route to the final had already shown momentum and resilience, especially after stopping Hristoforov's breakthrough run. In a division where the script kept changing, the Bulgarian had become the athlete best able to live with the chaos.

The -73 kg category in Gran Canaria did not belong only to the favourites, and that was what made it so gripping. Estonia's Hristoforov and Spain's Gayol Granda pushed deep into the draw, while Nikolchev turned Bulgaria's opportunity into the biggest prize of all.

Bulgaria found its moment in one of the wildest cadet draws of the day.

Source: EJU.net