Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestler Elmin Aliyev, who won a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships, has assessed his performance and spoken about his future goals.
Speaking to İdman.Biz, Aliyev said he was pleased to finish the tournament with a medal but stressed that his ambitions are much higher.
"Thank God, I did not leave without a medal. I am very happy to have won bronze. My main goal at the World Championships was to become world champion, and I did everything I could to achieve that. However, I am not satisfied with this result. God willing, I will prepare even more seriously for the next competitions and replace the bronze medal with gold," he said.
The Azerbaijani wrestler lost 4-7 to Belarusian Kirill Valevski in the semifinal. Aliyev described that bout as his toughest contest of the tournament.
"It was very difficult both physically and tactically. My opponent was strong, and both physical strength and making the right tactical decisions were extremely important during the bout," Aliyev explained.
The wrestler also won bronze at the World Championships last year. According to Aliyev, he needs to improve certain aspects of his performance in order to take the next step and reach a major final.
"In some situations, I need to remain calmer and wrestle more intelligently. I will work on these aspects. My main goal is to improve my results and turn the bronze medal into gold," he added.
The latest bronze was Aliyev's third medal of 2026. He considers his season successful so far but believes he is capable of achieving even more.
"Overall, I assess this season positively, although I think I could have achieved better results. Thank God, I have won three medals since the beginning of the year. This is a major achievement for me. At the same time, there are more important competitions ahead. My goal is to prepare better, correct my mistakes and achieve higher results. God willing, I will perform even better in the upcoming competitions and fight for gold," Aliyev concluded.
