Idman.biz
Azerbaijan's national freestyle wrestling team won four medals – 1 silver and 3 bronze – at the world championship held in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. However, in recent years, the team has been left without a gold medal in the main tournament of the year, which is a serious concern for athletes, coaches, the federation, and fans alike.
According to Idman.biz, the first world championship after the Olympics has its own unique character.
Usually, new names emerge in these competitions and challenge the favorites, gaining confidence for themselves for the upcoming period. In this regard, the bronze medals won by Nureddin Novruzov (61 kg) and Arseniy Cioyev (86 kg) are noteworthy. Both wrestlers had already established their names among young people and had already stepped onto the adult stage. The first medals at the world championship will increase their motivation for the qualifying stage of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Experienced Osman Nurmagomedov (92 kg) continued his stable performance at the World Cup. He won a medal for the fourth time in a row, and this was his third bronze. Higher results are expected from the Olympic participant. Osman himself admitted that he was not fully prepared in Zagreb – he fell ill during the last training camp and the recovery process was incomplete. Nevertheless, the desire to become a world champion remains, and hopes are pinned on the coming year.
Giorgi Meshvildishvili in the 125 kg weight category performed as one of the main favorites. The bronze medalist of the Olympics, the European champion, lived up to his status until the final, but lost to Iranian Amir Hossein Zare in the decisive match. This was Zare's third world title.
Jabrayil Hajiyev, competing at 79 kg, lost to the future champion, Greek Georgios Kugimtsidis, in the 1/4 finals after two victories. Although he defeated Japanese Rinosuke Kamiya in the consolation stage, he lost to Iranian Mohammad Ashgar Nokhodi Larmi in the bronze medal match and finished 5th.
Magomedkhan Magomedov, who competed at 97 kg, was considered one of the main favorites. The bronze medalist of the Olympics, who wrestled in the world final two years ago, hoped for the highest result. However, he was forced to stop fighting in the starting match against Indian Wiki Wiki due to an injury.
According to the overall points, the Azerbaijani national team is currently in 3rd place with 83 points. The final table will be formed after the competitions in the remaining two weight categories are over. But the fact that we have been without a gold medal at the world championship for several years is worrying. The last time Haji Aliyev became the world champion in Paris in 2017, and since then, no "world gold" has come for our freestyle wrestling.
Head coach Khetag Gazyumov said that a lot of work needs to be done to train new world champions: "A lot depends on the generation. Once Haji Aliyev and Togrul Asgarov shone on the carpet. It is necessary to train such a generation so that we can win again in the coming years. We hope that we will train world champions in the future and we are taking all the steps for this."
The World Championship continues. Women wrestlers have already joined the fight, and then the "classics" will enter the carpet. The final results will be determined in the second half.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz
