Mirko Englich (red) of Germany wrestles with Aslanbek Khushtov of Russia during the men’s Greco-Roman 96kg final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008. Aslanbek Khushtov won the bout and grabbed the gold medal.[Xinhua]

Russian Aslanbek Khushtov defeated German Mirko Englich in the men's 96kg Greco-Roman final on Thursday, winning Russia its third wrestling gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Khushtov overwhelmed his rival for the comfortable victory of two bouts after both Athens Olympic gold medalist Karam Gaber of Egypt and silver medalist Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia were knocked out early in the competition.

The winning Khushtov said that "it's too early to feel excited and I still need time to experience the happiness."

"It was a long way for me to win this medal, and I think it was God's award for all my suffering and hard work," he said.