Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling team, which won 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals at the U23 European Championship held in the Albanian capital Tirana, has returned home.
The team's head coach and athletes shared their thoughts on the competition at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Idman.biz reports.
Head coach Aleksandr Tarakanov said that they will work on the mistakes made in the competition: "Our team was made up of young people. They were eager to win. Many of them showed character. Some of them did not succeed. This also takes time. We have some wrestlers who could have performed in this age group, they are preparing for the European Championship for adults. The mistakes made in this competition will be worked on so that higher results can be achieved in the next competitions."
European champion Ruslan Nurullayev said that he dedicated the victory to his father: "Last year, there were some small nuances that kept me out of the championship. Thank you very much, I received the gold medal I deserved this year. We had high-level training camps abroad and within the country throughout the year. I will try to continue this success at the U23 World Championship. I dedicate this victory to my father. I promised him that I would win all the medals he wanted. Thank you very much, I continue to keep my word”.
Silver medalist Ziya Babashov expressed his dissatisfaction with his result: “I am grateful to the coaches who suffered for me, to everyone who supported me and prayed for me. I won the silver medal. I am not satisfied with my result. Because I had injuries. God willing, I plan to replace it with a gold medal at the World Championship”.
Bronze medalist Elmir Aliyev did not hide his regret that he missed the gold medal due to a sudden mistake: “Our training went very well. We were well prepared. I missed the gold medal due to a sudden mistake. I should have been the champion. Everyone had pinned their hopes on me. That was fate. In any case, we did not remain without a medal. In all the matches I won, I won with complete superiority. Only in the semifinals the match ended 2:2. I missed the victory in the last seconds. I hope that I will replace the bronze with gold at the U23 World Championship”.
Bronze medalist Khasay Hasanli admitted that he expected a gold medal from himself: “I am happy that I did not remain without a medal. But I am also disappointed that I came in 3rd place. I expected a gold medal from myself. Unfortunately, it did not happen. I did not give what was expected. But in this sport, anything can happen at any time. All competitors are strong at the European Championship. I seriously injured my elbow during the training camp in Croatia. I could not prepare exactly as I wanted. But I do not consider this a reason for my defeat. The team was very well prepared. All the guys had a training camp in Croatia. I was injured and my injury prevented me. I could not train as I wanted. I won gold at the U23 European Championships in 2022 and 2024. I thought I could become a three-time European champion. But it didn't turn out the way I thought. I made mistakes. Hopefully, I will work on these mistakes and correct them."
Idman.biz
