Aleksandr Tarakanov: “All our preparation and prospects are focused on the Olympic Games.”

The successful performances of our Greco-Roman wrestling team at the European Championship held in Slovakia have concluded, and the team has returned home.

With 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals, our team became the European champions in the team standings. They were warmly welcomed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

Aleksandr Tarakanov, Head Coach:

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the NOC, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the AGF for providing everything needed for our preparation and participation in the tournaments at a high level. I also want to thank our coaches and wrestlers for their dedication. Our team demonstrated a high level at the European Championship. Well done! We need to continue this progress. All our preparation and prospects are focused on the Olympic Games. I thank everyone for their support. Wrestling is Azerbaijan’s national sport. As coaches, we have great responsibility. We will strive to consistently achieve high results. The entire country was cheering for us, and we felt that support. Once again, I thank everyone.”

Eldəniz Əzizli, European silver medalist:

“Our team is European champions again. We are more used to individual championships, but thank God we were able to become champions in the team standings as well. This is a significant achievement not only for Azerbaijani wrestling but for the country’s sports in general. In the semifinals, I defeated an Armenian wrestler. But when I step onto the mat, I try not to care about the nationality of my opponent and focus on maintaining professionalism. I don’t want psychological factors to affect my performance. Sometimes young athletes can’t perform well because of psychological pressure. Sports should not be politicized. The victory we gained in the Patriotic War is worth everything. I lost in the final due to a tactical mistake. This year, we have the World Championship and the Islamic Solidarity Games. I hope we will make our people proud again. We will start the new preparation process in Vladikavkaz on May 6. Many of my teammates are young, but they have already achieved a lot of success. Həsrət Cəfərov reached his 3rd European title, equaling Rafiq Hüseynov. I believe he will greatly improve this result.”

Həsrət Cəfərov, European Champion:

“Thank God, we returned home with a gold medal. Both myself and our team are champions. It is a very proud feeling. I became European champion for the third time and matched Rafiq Hüseynov’s record. After this, we will prepare for the World Championship. After a one-week break, we will resume training. Then we will go to Vladikavkaz for the training camp.”

Nihat Məmmədli, European Champion:

“We were well-prepared for the competition. I was fully focused on winning the championship. I would do my best to defend my title. I was able to achieve the result I wanted. The final was tough, but I became European champion again. The World Championship is still 5 months away. After a short break, we will resume training. Last year, I became both World and European champion. My goal is to repeat those results. Now I have achieved one of those goals. I will do my best to achieve the second one. I dedicate my championship to those who supported us. Although we can’t respond to everyone on social media, we read all the comments. People write beautiful words for us, and it creates a positive impression.”

It should be noted that at the European Championship, Nihat Məmmədli (60 kg), Həsrət Cəfərov (67 kg), and Qurban Qurbanov (82 kg) won gold, Eldəniz Əzizli (55 kg) won silver, and Ülvü Qənizadə (72 kg) and İslam Abbasov (87 kg) won bronze medals.