Rovshan Umudov: “If we had participated with the full team, it would have been a success for the team as well

October 8, 2024

Our girls’ team won 9 medals this year at the European and World Championships held in these age groups. Our junior and young girls secured a total of 1 gold, 1 silver, and 7 bronze medals in these important competitions. For comparison, it should be noted that in similar competitions held last year, only 5 medals (2 silver, 3 bronze) were won in this category.

Head coach Rovshan Umudov commented on the team’s performance in 2024 as follows:

“You know that there are a limited number of athletes in women’s wrestling in Azerbaijan. Therefore, we are not fully represented in the European and World Championships. Considering that we participate in these competitions with a maximum of 5-6 wrestlers, I would consider our performance successful. In my opinion, if we had participated with a full squad, we could have achieved success in the team rankings as well.”

The experienced coach also shared his suggestions for promoting the sport more broadly:

“We all know that there is no significant influx into women’s wrestling in Azerbaijan. As you know, as the national team, including juniors, youth, and seniors, we train with a maximum of 20-25 athletes.

To develop women’s wrestling, video clips should be shown on sports programs every week, and we need to use the performances of athletes who have won medals at the World and European Championships to promote women’s wrestling.”

This year, Ruzanna Mammadova became the U-20 European champion. Fatima Bayramova won a silver medal at the U-17 continental championship. Nazrin Ahmadli, Gunay Gurbanova, and Zahra Karimzade won bronze medals in both the European and World Championships in the U-17 age group. Nargiz Samadova became the world bronze medalist among the youth.

R. Umudov also spoke about the future prospects of these wrestlers:

“Ruzanna Mammadova has just turned 18. An athlete cannot compete in all competitions the same way. Let me also mention that there is a significant difference between the European and World Championships. Becoming a world champion or winning a medal in this competition is very difficult. But this wrestler has great potential, and we believe she will achieve great success in the future. As for our younger athletes, of course, we expect great achievements from them as well. Naturally, this requires a lot of work and serious preparation. If we continue our training in the right way, with proper effort, the athletes we mentioned today can become future Olympians.”