Report.az
It is a great result that the Azerbaijani women's wrestling team won 3 medals at the U-23 European Championship held in Zrenyanin, Serbia.
According to the information of the "Report" employee sent to the competition, this was said by the acting coach of the team, Togrul Asgarov.
He said that he was satisfied with the overall performance of the team and especially noted Ruzanna Mammadova's determination:
"We had favorite athletes. Gunay Gurbanova won a gold medal. We also expected a gold medal from Ruzanna. Her surgery on her knee three months ago set her back a bit. But Ruzanna showed real athletic character and returned to the carpet earlier than expected to participate in the European Championship. She wrestled very well in the final, but due to a momentary mistake, she missed the gold medal. Her opponent was not weak either, she was a bronze medalist of the world championship among adults, and a silver medalist of the U-23 European Championship. She was a well-known opponent. Gultakin Shirinova also proved herself and won a medal after many injuries and made us happy."
T.Asgarov touched upon the issue of mass character in women's wrestling and the federation's activities in this direction:
"We participated in the competition with six athletes. There is still no mass character among our girls at the level of boys. The federation management is taking certain steps and doing work to increase this number. The more girl athletes we have in a short time, the more results we will get. But in general, winning three - one gold and two silver medals with six athletes is a great result."
The Olympic champion also evaluated the upcoming European Championship and Olympic license prospects:
"We have one month until the adult championship to be held in Albania. During this period, we will hold two strong training camps, one in Baku and the other abroad with other teams. I think Ruzanna will be more confident and win a medal. She lost the gold due to just 1 second mistake. She is a high-level wrestler. I should also note that she still has one more year to compete among young people. But our first goal is to compete among adults. We would like our girls to participate in the competitions where the Olympic license is given. As for the potential to win an Olympic license, Jala Aliyeva, Ruzanna Mammadova and Gunay Gurbanova have more chances. Of course, I would not want to infringe on the rights of our other athletes. There are still two years until the Olympic Games. Everything depends on their belief in themselves, their regime and listening to their coaches and parents. Elnura Mammadova, Gultakin Shirinova, Birgul Sultanova are also potential athletes."
It should be noted that Azerbaijani women wrestlers finished the U-23 European Championship with 3 medals. Gunay Gurbanova (59 kg) won the title of European champion. Gultakin Shirinova (55 kg) and Ruzanna Mammadova (62 kg) won silver medals.
