Sport24.az
Our beach wrestlers, who won 2 gold and 1 bronze medals at the world championship held in Katerini, Greece, have returned to their homeland. Sport24.az reports that a welcoming ceremony was held for the team at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Oyan Nazariani, the head coach of the team, shared his impressions of the competition: "We were represented in 4 weights for boys and 2 weights for girls in the competition. We took 3rd place in the team score for boys and 4th place for girls. Since our main goal is the Youth Summer Olympic Games to be held next year, we formed our team from wrestlers aged 15-16. Most of the opponents we lost to were one year older than our team members. We hope that each of our athletes will achieve good results in the prestigious competition next year. The European Championship will be held first next year. This will also play a test role for the Olympic Games. After that, we will prepare specifically for the Olympics. I would like to note that our team's return home coincided with the Remembrance Day. We dedicate our medals to the families of the martyrs."
World champion Ulviyya Musayeva shared her thoughts on winning a gold medal in the competition: "I was expecting this result. I was not fortunate enough to win a medal at the U-17 European Championship. Thank God, I achieved my dream in this competition. I didn't think I would win an early victory in the final. But I believed I would win. I dedicate my victory to our martyrs. I wish them God's mercy. My next goal is to win a medal at the Olympics next year."
World champion Nihad Suleymanli also shared his thoughts on the competition: "We prepared very well for this competition under the supervision of our head coach. I had 6 meetings. I became the world champion without giving points to my opponents. I would like to thank my personal coach Alisa Abbasov. I dedicate my victory to our martyrs. I will also try to win a gold medal at the U17 World Championship and the Youth Summer Olympic Games to be held in Baku next year."
Elgun Kerimli, the world's third, said that he will try to replace the bronze medal with gold next year: "The competition went very well. I performed in the U-17 age group for the first time. Thank God, I did not remain without a medal. I could have been a champion too. I faced five opponents. It was tiring. A little endurance was not enough to become a champion. Next year I will try to replace this bronze with gold."
