Idman.biz
Taleh Israfilov, the head coach of the Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling team for juniors, evaluated the performance of his team at the CIS Games.
The Greco-Roman wrestling competitions of the III CIS Games have come to an end. Azerbaijani representatives finished the tournament with a brilliant result - our team won 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals.
Immediately after the awarding ceremony, Idman.biz spoke with Taleh Israfilov, the head coach of our team in Ganja.
– How do you assess the team's performance? How many gold medals were planned in advance?
– To be honest, we had planned four gold medals. Unfortunately, some of our favorites had problems. For example, Said Pashayev (92 kg) faced weight problems, and Riad Ibrahimov (110 kg) was unexpectedly injured. Thankfully, the other wrestlers made us happy. I'm not unhappy about this, but frankly, there could have been five golds.
– Freestyle wrestlers are still behind in the number of gold medals. What is the reason for this?
– It's hard to say the exact reason. It would not be correct to say that the coaches in freestyle wrestling work weaker than us - they also do a very good job. It's just that this is sport: today we win a lot of medals, tomorrow they do. Moreover, we work with teenagers - young people who are not yet fully formed psychologically. They don't listen to everyone either. Some have less motivation, some have problems around them, and sometimes the competition is just different in that weight category.
– Are there athletes in the team who do not listen? For example, champions?
– They became champions because they listened to the coaches and followed their instructions (laughs).
– What about those who missed out on a medal chance?
– There were also those who were unlucky. For example, Emil Abbasov competed not in his weight category (80 kg), but at 92 kilograms and replaced Said Pashayev there. As a result, he had to wrestle opponents who were 5-6 kilograms heavier than him.
Nihad Tagiyev, although very talented, did not always follow instructions and, as a result, could not get into the list of prize-winners.
– In your opinion, which of today's champions will be able to achieve success among adults in the future?
– I believe that Ali Nazarov is capable of this - his wrestling style is very high level. Islam Sultanov also has a real wrestling character. But Islam's future success is 50/50. Yes, he is talented, but he still has a lot of work to do.
– Finally, is it easier to lose weight or gain weight among teenagers?
– As a coach, I am against weight loss in teenagers. They are still in their growth period and such a load on their bodies is very harmful. This can negatively affect not only health, but also psychology. Yes, it is possible to lose up to 10 percent of weight among adults, but such an approach is not correct at this age. For teenagers, gaining weight is more natural and safer.
Vugar Vugarli
