Interview of Azerbaijan national freestyle wrestler Aliabbas Rzazade (61 kg) to Idman.biz website
- You won a bronze medal in the first competition of the year in Croatia. Are you satisfied with this result in the rating tournament?
- In this tournament, I fought 1 weight higher - 61 kg. Although my meetings were intense, in the end I was promoted to the victory podium. True, it should have been a gold medal. Expectations from me were high. But a sudden mistake took me out of the championship.
- What was the reason for the weight change?
- This was the coach's wish. I think they made this decision because they thought of my good. Every time I lost weight, I lost strength. The European Championship and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament to be held in Baku are ahead. This step was taken in order not to lose too much weight.
- If you had competed in the Zagreb Open at 57 kg, could you easily have won?
- I defeated almost all athletes who won medals here last year. It was the 3rd place 1 year ago and became the champion. Of course I would win a gold medal. If I had managed to get a medal in the upper weight, I would have taken the first place in the 57 kg category.
- Who was your hardest fight with?
- My opponents were heavier than me. Unfortunately, I lost to Bekhbayar Erdenebat representing Mongolia in the semi-finals. I did not expect to lose. I could win. A sudden mistake decided the fate of the meeting. My most difficult fight was against the American athlete Michael Johnathon. I was losing, but I managed to win in the last seconds.
- You admitted your mistake in the meeting with the Mongolian wrestler. Could it be that underestimating him played a role in the defeat?
- No. He was an experienced athlete, and he was very old. He participated in the Olympic Games many times. In the first part I wrestled with him as I wanted. I started the second part well. He was almost tired. Haste brought with it an instant error. He also used his experience and beat me and won the gold medal in the end.
- The European Championship will be held in Budapest in February. What will be your main goal in this race?
- In the European Championship, I will probably wrestle at 57 kg. I think I will again be the first and the strongest wrestler in the continent. I will go down in history as a double European champion.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
