Albanian wins gold under another flag

TIRANA, Sep. 12 – Unfortunately the few sport talents this tiny western Balkan country has, find shelter in other countries, where they are supposedly much better treated. Greco-Roman wrestler Elis Guri now competes for Bulgaria and on Monday he won the gold medal in the 96-kilogram category at the 2011 World Wrestling Championship held in Istanbul, Turkey. Guri recently became naturalized in Bulgaria. Guri triumphed on the very first day of the World Wrestling Championship, winning the gold in the 96kg Greco-Roman category. He outclassed Jimmy Alexander Lidberg of Sweden in the final 2:0 (1:0, 1:1) to grab the Bulgarian squad’s first gold medal. This is the second medal that Elis Guri wins for Bulgaria in a major championship. In April, he won the European bronze in Dortmund, Germany. This should be an indicator to the Albanian authorities not to let Albania’s sportsmen go abroad. But to succeed in this would also entail treating them well and good financial compensation.