The Azerbaijan men's senior beach wrestling team's first-ever world title in the team standings is of particular significance, national team head coach Oyan Nazariani has told İdman.Biz.
"We won two gold and three bronze medals. In beach wrestling, three athletes are allowed to compete in each weight category. We had only two wrestlers in the 80kg category, and both of them won medals. One became world champion and the other finished third," Nazariani said.
The head coach believes the results demonstrate the progress beach wrestling has made in Azerbaijan and the growing competitiveness of the country's athletes on the international stage.
"The results we have achieved give us additional motivation to pursue even greater success in this sport in the future," he added.
Nazariani described the season as highly successful for Azerbaijan across different age groups. The country's U17 team became European champions, while the U17 boys finished second at the World Championships in Baku with 85 points, level with Iran on points and medal results. Azerbaijan's U17 girls' team also became world champions.
"There were many memorable moments during the season. The most important thing is that we achieved strong team results at both youth and senior level. I think our senior men's team becoming world champions in the team standings was the most memorable achievement of the season," Nazariani said.
Following the performances of Azerbaijani wrestlers throughout the season, United World Wrestling named Nazariani the Beach Wrestling Coach of the Year.
The specialist stressed that he regards the individual award as recognition of the work carried out by the entire team.
"Being named Coach of the Year is, of course, a very good and proud feeling. But I accept this award not only on my own behalf, but on behalf of our entire team. I don't think any success is possible without the support of a strong team.
"First of all, I would like to thank the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for their support. The conditions created for us this year, the high-level organisation of our training, training camps and the World Championships held in our country gave our team additional strength.
"This support also had a positive impact on the mental and physical preparation of our athletes. The high ranking points we earned in Azerbaijan also made a major contribution to us becoming world champions. Therefore, I consider this award the result of the work of our entire team," he said.
Azerbaijan's beach wrestlers still have another major competition ahead this year, with the Youth Summer Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal, in November.
"Our immediate goal is that competition. We will try to prepare our athletes for this prestigious event at the highest possible level. Next year, our main objective will also be to prepare the national team and represent Azerbaijan at the highest possible level on the international stage. We will mobilise all our resources to achieve successful results in the upcoming competitions," Nazariani concluded.
