“It’s hard to put into words the feeling of raising the Azerbaijani flag at the World Championship. It’s an incredibly proud moment-only those who experience it can truly understand,” said Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestler Nihat Mammadli (63 kg).
Speaking to journalists at the airport upon his return from the World Championship for non-Olympic categories in Tirana, Albania, Mammadli shared that his belief in victory was crucial: “Half of the work is believing. I was confident I’d become the champion. However, this was my first time competing internationally in the 63 kg category, and it happened to be at the world championship, which made it a challenging experience. I knew the matches would be tough, but I prepared myself mentally, and despite the difficulty, our hard work paid off.”
Nihat also mentioned his plans to return to an Olympic weight category next year: “I won the European Championship in the Olympic weight of 60 kg, and my goal was to compete in the Olympics this year, but it didn’t happen. Instead, I became a world champion. My natural weight class is 60 kg, and I’ll be returning to it next year.”
In the final, Mammadli triumphed over Kazakhstan’s Yerzhet Zharlykassyn with a score of 6:1, securing the top position on the podium.
Idman.biz
