Arif Abdullayev: “We’ll Eliminate Mistakes and Aim for Success at the World Championship”

The freestyle wrestling team, which finished second at the U20 European Championship in Caorle, Italy, has returned home.

A welcome ceremony was held at Heydar Aliyev International Airport for the team, which brought home 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Arif Abdullayev, Head Coach:

“We finished second at the European Championship with five medals. We could have achieved even better results. There were some mistakes, and we’ll work on correcting them. The U20 World Championship will be held in August in Bulgaria. God willing, we’ll overcome the errors and achieve a strong result there as well. We extend our thanks to the Wrestling Federation, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the National Olympic Committee for their support and attention.”

Vasif Baghirov, European Champion:

“It was a tough competition. Thank God, my hard work paid off. I’m grateful to my personal coach Rauf Khalilov and the national team coaches. God willing, I’ll represent my country with honor at the World Championship and bring back another gold medal.”

Muradkhan Omarov, European Silver Medalist:

“We had prepared seriously for the European Championship. I reached the final but couldn’t wrestle the way I wanted in the gold medal bout. I lost to my Georgian opponent. Still, the silver medal is a great achievement for me. I will prepare for the World Championship and aim for an even better result. I thank my family, Asif coach, my personal coach Rovshan Hajiyev, our head coach Arif Abdullayev, and the national team coaches Ashraf Aliyev and Nazim Alicanov.”

Omar Gulmammadov, European Bronze Medalist:

“The tournament went very well. I won a bronze medal. Due to some injuries, I couldn’t wrestle at my full potential. I lost in the semifinals to an Italian wrestler, but thank God, I won the bronze medal match and didn’t return home empty-handed. I dedicate my victory to my personal coach, Yashar. I’m also thankful to the federation and the national team coaches.”

Anar Jafarli, European Bronze Medalist:

“My matches were intense. I actually went to Italy to become champion, but I had to settle for bronze. God willing, I’ll achieve a better result at the World Championship. I thank my personal coach, my parents, and the national team coaches. They worked hard with us for six months.”

As a reminder, Azerbaijan’s medalists at the European Championship were Vasif Baghirov (57 kg) – gold, Muradkhan Omarov (79 kg) and Yusif Dursunov (125 kg) – silver, and Omar Gulmammadov (74 kg) and Anar Jafarli (92 kg) – bronze.