Azerbaijani karateka Irina Zaretska (68 kg), who won a silver medal at the World Games held in Chengdu, China, wanted to show that she is still among the best in the world.
According to Idman.biz, the experienced athlete spoke about this in a statement to Report news agency.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games silver medalist said the tournament in China was special for her:
"It was my first major competition since the birth of my child. I entered the tatami with one goal, to show that I am still among the best in the world. The tournament was very intense. In every bout, I had to stay as focused as possible and be tactically flexible. I defeated the Chinese representative 2:1, the Egyptian athlete 2:0, the Indonesian karateka 10:0, and my Japanese opponent 11:3. Each fight had its own significance. But everyone saw that I was in shape and my approach to the competition was at a high level. There is no point in dwelling on the defeat in the final. I am a professional in my field. I am doing everything I can to raise the Azerbaijani flag high around the world once again."
Zaretska also spoke about her next goals: "I want to perform successfully at the CIS Games in Azerbaijan, the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia, and the World Championship. Moreover, I am still the only representative from Azerbaijan to have qualified for the World Championship. This brings me special responsibility, as well as extra motivation. I am back, this is the start of a new stage in my career."
Irina Zaretska lost in the final of the World Games to Swiss representative Elena Quirici.
Idman.biz
