Namig Guliyev, head coach of Azerbaijan’s U15 freestyle wrestling national team, shared his thoughts with the press service of the Wrestling Federation.
He reflected on recent achievements and expectations for the upcoming European Championship, Idman.biz reports.
– How would you evaluate the U15 National Championship held in March at the Ganja Sports Palace? Any surprises?
– It went mostly as expected. The main difference was that some wrestlers we expected to become champions ended up finishing second or third. A few favorites missed the title due to injuries. Before the national event, we had already selected a 10-man squad for the Gymnasiade in Serbia. Only one of them failed to deliver in Ganja — he had been a national champion and a European Championship participant last year, but this time an injury forced him out early. From the Gymnasiade squad, we earned 5 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals.
– Speaking of the Gymnasiade, all our freestyle wrestlers made it to the podium. Your team claimed 2 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals. Are you satisfied?
– I’d say our performance was satisfactory. Wrestlers from over 20 countries, including top wrestling nations like the USA, Kazakhstan, Iran, Armenia, and Ukraine, took part. Five of our wrestlers reached the finals. We could’ve won more gold medals — in two finals, we lost in the final seconds.
– The main challenge lies ahead at the European Championship in Italy, June 25–28. How is preparation going?
– We’ll hold a training camp in Khachmaz Olympic Sports Complex from May 24 to June 4, focused on general physical preparation. After a short 3–4 day break, we’ll return to Khachmaz for tactical and technical training from June 8 to 22. From there, we’ll head straight to the European Championship. Given the June weather, Khachmaz is an ideal location for this stage of preparation.
– Last year, you became European champions with 140 points in the team ranking. Can the title be defended?
– We’ll do everything we can to win the title again. Although Russia’s team results are not counted officially, their individual wrestlers remain our main rivals. Georgia is also a strong contender. I believe we can win at least 6–7 medals, and 3–4 of our athletes have the potential to reach the finals. I’m confident we’ll bring home at least one gold medal.
Idman.biz
