Interview with Eldaniz Azizli (55 kg), Greco-Roman wrestler for the Azerbaijani national team, conducted by Idman.biz.
- Do you think 2024 was a successful year for Azerbaijani wrestling?
- Yes, Azerbaijani wrestling had one of its successful years. Of course, excluding the Olympic Games. As you know, wrestling is expected to bring the most medals at every Summer Olympics. This year, our results were somewhat weaker. However, at the World Championship at the end of the year, our wrestlers made their mark and achieved historic results. Three Azerbaijani athletes stood on the top podium at the same World Championship for the first time. Additionally, my fourth world championship title is a record, not only in wrestling history but also in our general sports history. In 2025, I will try to make it five.
- What do you think went wrong at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics?
- Honestly, everything was going well before the Olympics. We had very high-level training camps. During the test competitions, our wrestlers showed their best form. They were all very eager. Some athletes are content with just qualifying, but our wrestlers went to Paris to win medals. Therefore, I can’t pinpoint a specific reason for the results. In sports, sometimes outcomes don’t go as expected. Simply put, it wasn’t our wrestlers' day.
Azerbaijani wrestling is the flagship of Azerbaijani sports because the sports sector is built on results. If we look back since our independence, we have always sent at least one finalist to the Summer Olympics, except for the most recent one. Sometimes, in interviews, people say that Azerbaijani wrestling is going through a decline. I don’t believe this is the case. There may be certain problems, but I don’t think Azerbaijani wrestling is in a decline. We are just seeing older athletes retiring, and new generations are coming in. It takes some time for the young wrestlers to adapt and fill those shoes. I believe the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will be more successful for us.
- You mentioned that you don’t plan on retiring anytime soon. Does this mean you have no plans to end your career soon?
- I’ve been wrestling for 26 years. To be honest, I don’t want to think about when I will retire. The idea of waking up one day and realizing that wrestling is no longer a part of my life is a hard thought for me. Right now, I don’t have a set time in my mind for when I will end my career. As long as I can, I will keep going. I still feel good, and my passion for wrestling is alive. Once I feel that the younger athletes have reached a certain level, and I sense that it’s time, I will hand over the baton.
- Who do you see as a potential successor? Is there a real candidate?
- Yes, Elmir Aliyev and Rashad Mammadov. Rashad performed well at this year’s European Championship. Elmir represented Azerbaijan successfully at both the World and European Championships. Right now, these two athletes are the real contenders for taking over the baton from me.
- You may likely end your career without an Olympic medal. Do you have any regrets about this?
- Athletes fall into two categories: dreamers and realists. I’m not a dreamer; I can look at things realistically. This year, I made a big decision. I could either change my weight class to 60 kg and participate in the Olympic Games, or I could break the record at the World Championship. I chose the World Championship. Of course, the Olympics are something entirely different for an athlete. But at 33 years old, I’m no longer at the age where I can change my weight class and compete in the Olympics. By Los Angeles 2028, I will be 37. Naturally, time will tell. Right now, it doesn’t seem realistic. You know, the lower the weight class, the harder it gets as you get older. For example, Mikhail Lopez, who became an Olympic champion for the fifth time this year, was 42 years old. But he competes in a higher weight class. In lower weight classes, speed is more important, so the situation is different.
- Age is a factor now, but what were your thoughts on competing in the Olympics when you were younger?
- Of course, I’ve thought a lot about it. However, at that time, there was an experienced wrestler, Rovshan Bayramov, ahead of me. As long as he was there, I didn’t get a chance. In both Olympics that I wanted to compete in, Rovshan was there and achieved successful results. After that, the weight classes changed, and 59 kg became the new class. I couldn’t make that weight. If there had been a 55 kg category during those times, I probably would have won Olympic gold. But the World Wrestling Federation took two weight classes away from us and gave them to women in the name of gender equality. Let’s say, gender equality became a problem for us.
- It seems you’re not a fan of gender equality in sports.
- For us, women have always been valuable, with or without gender equality. Generally, men in the Caucasus have always revered their women.
- The whole world is not Caucasian, though.
- I think gender equality is already a given. This is my subjective opinion.
- Do any of your children practice wrestling?
- No, and I don’t want them to. Every family only needs one wrestler. I have two daughters and one son. My son goes to the gym for his health, but I don’t want him to pursue sports professionally.
- Why?
- Because I know very well how difficult it is to achieve results in wrestling and professional sports in general.
- But you’ve been very successful.
- True, I’ve had success. But there’s a saying that wrestling is a big gamble. It can elevate you to the top, but it can also bring you down. I don’t want my children to be part of that process.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
