Chermen Valiev has made history for Albania by securing its first Olympic medal ever. Valiev, a wrestler who was naturalized as an Albanian, defeated Viktor Rassadin of Tajikistan with a score of 6-2.

On Friday, Valiev was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Uzbek wrestler Zhamalov. However, the Albanian wrestler continued to compete on Saturday for a bronze medal and succeeded in winning, marking a historic achievement for Albania.

Previously, Albania was one of only five countries that had never won an Olympic medal, alongside Bosnia, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra.

The journey for the Albanian team doesn’t end here. On Sunday, Islam Dudaev will also compete with hopes of winning a bronze medal.