Michine Alexei won the men's 84kg category Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal by referee decision after he tied it 1-1 on August 25 with Ara Abrahamian of Sweden.

None of the wrestlers could take overwhelming advantage in the bout until referees honored the crown to Alexei, silver medallist of the 76kg in the world championships in 2001.

The Russian scored the only point in the six-minute regular time. The fight has to go into a three-minute extra time if no one scores at least three points.

Abrahamian, who switched from the 76kg category after finishing sixth in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, equalized the game in overtime thanks to Alexei's mistake.

Belarus' Viachaslau Makaranka outlasted Hamza Yerlikaya of Turkey, two-time Olympic gold medallist, 2-1 in overtime to win the bronze medal.

The two battled to 1-1 in regular time before Yerlikaya was penalized one point for rules violation.