Serbia won their first gold medal of the European Sambo Championships through Stefan Zuparic ©FIAS

Hosts Serbia earned their first gold medal of the European Sambo Championships in Novi Sad, via Stefan Zuparic triumphing in the men's combat sambo under-71 kilograms category.

Zuparic overcame Israel's Tariel Abbasov in the final at the Sports and Business Centre Vojvodina, while Bulgaria's Emil Nezirov and Russian athlete Rashad Muradov, competing as a neutral, earned bronze medals.

Neutral Russian athletes continued their domination of the European Championships, adding six further golds on the first day of senior competition to take their tally up to 30.

Aleksandr Fedorov beat Belarusian neutral Pavel Hladkikh in the men's sport sambo under-64kg, and Denis Kalinin triumphed over another Belarusian in Aliaksandr Koksha at under-79kg.

Tamara Lishchenko was the only Russian athlete who triumphed in the women's sport sambo events, winning the under-72kg final against a Belarusian in Anzhela Zhylinskaya.

Valera Ergalov beat Armenia's Hamlet Sukiasyan in the combat sambo under-58kg final, Said Saidov took gold at the expense of Belarusian neutral Yauheni Aleksiyevich at under-88kg, and Soslan Dzhanaev was the other Russian neutral who claimed victory, beating Marvin Delienne - a French athlete competing under the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) flag - in the over-98kg final.

The FIAS and European Sambo Federation are among the few sports governing bodies to have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag at their events.

Armenia are the leading national team among the athletes competing under their country's flag.

Arsen Khandzhian provided their fourth gold of the European Championships by beating Russian neutral Vyacheslav Mikhaylin in the men's sport sambo under-98kg final.

Romania's Kaliuzhnaya Katsiaryna provided her country's first gold, winning the women's sport sambo over-80kg final against Belarusian neutral Maria Kandratsyeva.

Sacha Buwalda of The Netherlands took the women's sport sambo under-59kg title at the expense of Russian neutral Olga Mitina, while Sephora Corcher - a French athlete competing under the FIAS flag - beat Cristina Casas of Spain in the under-50kg decider.

Tomorrow is set to mark the final day of the European Championships.