Elmin Aliyev (82 kg), the Greco-Roman wrestler who won the U-23 European Championship held in Zrenjanin, Serbia, said that each of his opponents was experienced enough.
According to the employee of "Report" who was sent to the competition, the athlete said this in a statement to journalists.
The European champion said that he worked very hard to prepare for the competition:
"I prepared seriously for the competition. I worked very hard. Thank God I won a gold medal. Each of my opponents had enough medals, they were experienced. I saw the reward for my efforts. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my family, my coaches, as well as the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation, the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for their support in this way."
He emphasized that he did not face easy opponents on the way to the final:
"All my opponents were difficult on the way to the final. Each of them was the same in terms of strength and they were not weak."
The wrestler talked about his next goals:
"The European Youth Championship is coming up. Then there will be the U-20 and U-23 World Championships. I will try to participate in each of them. If the coaches advise me, I will also join the adults' competition."
It should be noted that E. Aliyev defeated his Georgian opponent Tornike Mikeladze 3:2 in the final.