"We came from the training camp in Vladikavkaz. We trained there with the teams of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, and Italy. There were also some wrestlers from Georgia."
Aleksandr Tarakanov, head coach of the Greco-Roman wrestling team of Azerbaijan, told Idman.biz TV.
Experienced specialist expressed his opinion about the training camp of the national team held in Vladikavkaz, Russia: "It was a very good and difficult camp. It was both general physical training and gathering on the carpet. The most important thing is that we finished the training without any injuries. We did not take the wrestlers who had problems with us. We gave them the opportunity to complete their treatment and return their uniforms. The main thing in our work is the absence of injuries."
Tarakanov also touched on the future preparation plan of the team that will compete in the European Olympic Qualifying tournament: "We gave the team a little rest. On Thursday, we will start training for the license tournament. They create the conditions we want for us, we go to meetings and competitions. In this regard, the Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports create all conditions. We have no problem with this plan."
The head coach also clarified the question about the identity of our representative in some weights: "Nihad Mammadli, the European champion in 60 kg, will compete. He has proven himself. In the final, he defeated the world champion and won well. Everything is fixed at this weight. I have a question about the weight of 87 kg. We will determine in the near future."
The expert is of the opinion that the Greco-Roman wrestling national team can go to the Paris-2024 Summer Olympic Games with a full team: "Four licenses are not enough for us. We hope to win more. We had a good meeting. We hope to complete our number of licenses. But there is also a psychological factor. Wrestlers showed themselves well in meetings, competitions, and the European Championship. I don't say in advance, but we hope for the best. The greater number of licenses is in the interest of both us and the wrestlers. We have to take all the licenses. There will be tournaments in Baku and Istanbul. I think everything will be normal. We will work, the wrestlers are trained and ready."
Tarakanov proudly noted that our national team, consisting of "classics", is in the leading roles not only in Europe, but also in the world: "The Greco-Roman wrestling team always dominates. We have many winners and prize winners in the World and European championships. There were no such results before. But in 2004, Farid Mansurov became the Olympic champion. An Olympic championship can trump anything. But due to development and quality, our team is already dominating both world and European championships. There is no great choice so that more young people come. We also have good wrestlers. In order to be ahead of everyone, we conduct trainings both physically and technically. But mostly we work on both parterre and standing tricks individually. As a result of this individual work, we get and win. For example, 350-400 athletes wrestle in the national championship in Russia. There, the qualifying stage for zones ends and the final takes place. We don't have that kind of competition. The country is small. But we try not to fall behind and fight better. We do this on the carpet, in physical and technical exercises. We cannot be outdone easily. We have won the World Championship and the European Championship, we have always won awards."
It should be noted that the European Olympic Qualification tournament will be held in Baku on April 5-7.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
