"The role of coaches in the lives of athletes is very important, because they are like fathers. I spend more time with them than with my father. "Coaches play an important role in our personality formation."
Former judoka of the Azerbaijan national team, silver medalist of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Rustam Orujov said it in an interview with Idman.biz.
The athlete stated that although he started training in Russia, he did not have very good results, he moved to Azerbaijan at the age of 14 and started his judo career here: "From that year, I started training with Farhad Mammadov in Azerbaijan. Later, when I tried to prove myself, I started working with teacher Farhad as well as with his coach Ali Darvishov. When we went to his classes, we were very proud that our coach's coach was working with us. They always believed in me and supported me, although, for example, I did not have serious results in teenagers. It's priceless, so I'm very grateful to them. They said that I have great potential and there is no need to rush, I will do well in the seniors. I trusted them and it happened. They taught me everything necessary for an athlete. Thanks to them, my discipline has increased, many of my techniques have improved."
Orujov's coach Farhad Mammadov also shared his memories of his training: "I have known Rustam for almost 20 years. When he came here, he was a very active and energetic child. He spoke Azerbaijani poorly. From his teenage years, he was distinguished by his discipline, endurance, and attitude. He loved judo and still does today. His first victory in the international arena was among juniors in Italy - he took the 3rd place in the 42 kg weight category. In childhood, we did not stress our athletes much, we prepare them in such a way that they will achieve the results we wish for in adulthood. Rustam lived up to our expectations. Having prepared for several months, he qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in the weight class of 73 kg. After that, he won medals in world, European and other international tournaments.
Shabnam Rahimova
Idman.biz
