Russian Federation's Viktor Lebedev has admitted that he was pleased that he coped with the pressure of being the favourite to win the gold medal at the European Games.
Lebedev claimed victory over Germany's Marcel Ewald in the men's 57kg freestyle wrestling, winning the match 3-0, although the 28-year-old believes that his biggest test came in his semi-final win over Azerbaijan's Yashar Aliyev.
He told reporters: "We are equal and everyone was preparing hard for a tournament like the European Games.
"No-one just came for fun. In this tournament I again realised that I am the favourite in this category in the world.
"I just need to keep on improving. My hardest fight was with the local athlete, Yashar Aliyev, but I coped with that."
Russia have won 16 gold medals at the Games.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
