Beijing, China (My Sportsbook) - Russian freestyle wrestler Buvaysa Saytiev won the men's 74-kilogram weight class on Wednesday for his record-tying third career Olympic gold medal.

The favorite entering these Beijing Games, Saytiev beat Soslan Tigiev of Uzbekistan 2-1 in the final match to add to the gold medals he already won in 1996 and 2004.

The 33-year-old Saytiev clinched the match with a 3-1 victory in the third period, joining former Soviet wrestler Alexander Medved (1964-72) as the only freestyle wrestlers to win three gold medals.

Tigiev won the silver medal, while Murad Gaidarov of Belarus and Kiril Terziev of Bulgaria both won their last matches to share the bronze.

Also on Wednesday, Turkey's Ramazan Sahin won a close match to claim the gold medal in the men's 66 kg weight class.

After dropping the first period against the Ukraine's Andriy Stadnik, Sahin rallied to win the next two for a 2-1 victory. He claimed the third period based on his one 2-point technique, which bettered Stadnik's two 1-point techniques.

The favorite entering the competition, Sahin had won the 2007 world championship as well as the European championship in April.

Stadnik, the husband of women's 48 kg bronze medallist Mariya Stadnik, was happy to have won the silver medal.

"It is nice to realize that you can compete against your own wife," he said.

India's Sushil Kumar and Georgia's Otar Tushishvili both won matches to share the 66 kg bronze medal.