Despite the deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, caused by the Russian side, Russian specialists continue to work in our country for the benefit of Azerbaijani sports.
One of them is the head coach of the Azerbaijani national Greco-Roman wrestling team, renowned specialist Aleksandr Tarakanov. The national wrestling federation has provided him with all the necessary conditions, thereby refuting the myths and outright disinformation spread by some individuals about alleged discrimination against Russian citizens in Azerbaijan.
The result of this joint work is that the Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling team has become one of the world’s leaders in recent years. This was confirmed at a recent ranking tournament in Budapest, where the Azerbaijani Greco-Roman team took first place in the team standings. Nihat Mammadli (60 kg) won gold, while Ruslan Nurullayev (72 kg), Islam Abbasov (87 kg), and Murad Ahmadov (97 kg) claimed bronze medals.
In an interview with Idman.biz, national team coach Aleksandr Tarakanov reviewed the past tournament and shared future plans.
— How do you evaluate the team's performance in Budapest?
— Everything is going according to our preparation plan for the World Championship in Zagreb. Many of the guys needed a warm-up before the world championship, we identified all the mistakes that need to be corrected soon. The sooner we do this, the better. In my opinion, everything went smoothly. We still have two training camps ahead, and then the World Championship.
By the way, several of our wrestlers sustained injuries during the ranking tournament. The good news is that they turned out to be minor, and to avoid worsening them, some of the guys did not compete in the decisive matches.
— You probably mean Hasrat Jafarov and Beka Kandelaki, who withdrew from the tournament?
— Yes. In fact, Hasrat didn’t even feel pain from the bruise, but his arm swelled up so badly that we had to pull him out. The same with Beka, he fell with his full 130 kg weight on his arm, and then his opponent landed on top. That’s 260 kg in total. He could have continued, but we decided not to risk it. What’s important is that the guys got a feel for the competitive mat. Work is ongoing, and the most important thing is mutual understanding between athletes and coaches. That’s why we have results.
Overall, the injuries are minor, and the wrestlers have time to recover before the World Championship. On August 3, we’re heading to a training camp in Turkiye. The main thing is that there are no fractures or torn ligaments, so the injuries are not critical.
— We can’t help but mention the victory of 22-year-old Nihat Mammadli, who has recently won two European Championships and a World Championship. Can we say that a new team leader has emerged?
— He really is gaining momentum and becoming a leader. That said, all multiple-time World and European champions are already leaders. But the real elite are Olympic champions. We are doing everything possible to help these guys win the Olympics, and they have all the conditions for it.
By the way, Nihat competed in the final with an injury. Before the decisive bout, we agreed that if he felt pain, he would give a sign. But he fought to the end and won. The main thing is that he has a goal and determination. I can say the same about the others.
— We should also highlight Islam Abbasov. There were high hopes for him earlier, but then he went through a rough patch. Now he’s back on the podium. What has changed?
— Islam has started engaging in more self-reflection, and it’s doing him good. Over the past year, he’s changed a lot, he’s become a completely different wrestler. In Budapest, for example, he beat a Serbian wrestler who is the reigning European champion. When self-analysis aligns with the coaches' instructions, the result comes quickly.
If a coach says one thing and a wrestler thinks something else, it’s like Krylov’s fable: “The swan, the pike, and the crab.” But when everyone pushes in the same direction, it creates powerful force. Now Islam is acting this way, he believes in himself, and the result came quickly.
— In recent years, Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling has seen many young talents emerge, Nihat Mammadli, Hasrat Jafarov, Ulvu Ganizade. What is behind this progress?
— When I took over the national team in 2019, I first just observed the training sessions, and then started making changes. Before me, there were professional and talented coaches who achieved results, but I changed the approach to the training process itself.
My arrival coincided with the pandemic, and we trained only on the mat for almost a year. At the very first European Championship after that, we won eight medals.
We often talk with the guys outside of training, we have tea, coffee. Recently, they told me: “In 28 years before you, Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestlers won 13 gold medals at World and European Championships, but under you, 25 in the last 5 years.” We also won the team standings at two World and European Championships.
That’s not counting silver and bronze, of which there are many more. As they say, statistics don’t lie (smiles). What’s especially pleasing is that we have many young wrestlers who continue to improve.
Our work is really bearing fruit. Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling is now among the leaders. Our team can no longer be pushed out of the top three. And that’s very valuable. Not only are the wrestlers benefiting from my work in Azerbaijan, I’m also gaining a lot from them, both in terms of wrestling and in life, through pleasant conversations and friendships. We’ve become a true family working for the good of Azerbaijani wrestling.
Teymur Tushiyev
Idman.biz
