Update Post: December 9, 2023 8:25 am
The main heroes of the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in the Russian national team were freestyle wrestlers. They have four medals, two of which are gold. But it must be admitted that there were many annoying moments: Sadulayev’s injury and his withdrawal from the semi-finals are already worth it.
Results of Russian freestyle wrestlers at the 2023 World Championships:
A medal table that does not exist. Russian freestyle wrestlers only lost to the American team
But medal counts are numbers. And there are meanings too. And one of the coaches of the wrestling team, Vladimir Geghamovich Modosyan, winner of the 1985 World Cup and 1986 World Champion, spoke about these meanings in the “Championship”.
An experienced mentor encourages us to look at things more broadly: the situation with Sadulayev, defeats and sanctions against Russia in sports.
After talking to him, you look at everything from a slightly different perspective.
“There is no athlete who does not lose. “This is a bitter but necessary experience.”
– Vladimir Gegamovich, how would you rate the result of the wrestling team: four medals? – The result is good, but we could do even more. We do not even doubt Uguev’s weight of up to 57 kg and first place. How much is Sadulaev worth with a weight of up to 97 kg? It is clear that he had an injury. But this is a man with character. He can beat anyone! Even Tazhudinova could win with the right tactics. Most likely, it was possible to make a sacrifice, but she considered it best to preserve her health in the future. That is the right decision. It is impossible for her to win the first fights, because she has already had this injury for a month. But everything has its limit.
At the World Championship we wanted to have a person with character who could win. Yes, we have other guys, but today Sadulayev showed that he is the first.
What happened to the captain of the Russian team?
The drama of the best Russian fighter at the world championship. Sadulaev surrendered due to injury
The guys didn’t fight for a long time, yeah. But that’s no excuse. This is one of the factors we take into account. We prepare them for exploits. Because a person must be prepared in any case. Unpredictable things always happen in sanctioned competitions. I have seen firsthand those who won the world championship four or five times and then couldn’t get an Olympic license. Not even Snyder could become world champion now. When you try to build on your old merits, you are no longer an authority. These are not just words, but work. What I’m telling you now is what I told the guys too. Yes, you can take a risk and get a license, but you will lose your health, which you will not recover for the Olympic Games. And then they told us that we killed a young man. What is 30 years?! This is not the age for an Olympic athlete.
Our team is new, friendly, and a great resource. We got used to each other. They all have experience. Khadzhimurat (Gatsalov is the coach of the national team. – “Championship” note) is an experienced fighter, he thinks logically. He has a culture.
– Vladislav Valiev and Arslan Bagaev performed unsuccessfully in Belgrade. – Bagaev was the one who trained the best. I’m sure he will fight Yazdani and the others. We set so many traps for him that he had to break it there! He is number one in Russia at this weight and he should behave like that.
– Why didn’t he succeed? “He fell in love with blotting paper.” This is a bitter experience, but very necessary. Not everyone can prove themselves in such a situation. But now she will restructure herself psychologically. There is no athlete who does not lose. Didn’t Fadzaev lose? Yes, everyone has been through this.
– Is the steel hardening now? – Yes. We explain how to avoid mistakes. But people understand it in their own way. This is not a one day job. Experienced fighters also make the same mistakes. Let no one say that the Olympic champion already understands and knows everything. No! We still have to continue working there. Every person needs help. You learn from mistakes, but it is better, of course, to listen when they tell you something. The coach’s task is to explain very subtly, to convey information in different ways and not to scold. They are very good kids. But to raise an Olympic athlete you need to work for more than a year. Such miracles do not happen that an Olympic champion appears in one year.
There should be no excuses for our results. There is something that we, as coaches, need to work on. You can’t forgive anyone for anything. There is a job and they have to do it.
The head coach of freestyle wrestlers summed up the results of the tournament:
Exclusive
“The boys didn’t know until recently if they were going to the World Cup.” Interview with the wrestling team coach.
“The Olympic Games cannot be compared to any competition. And everything else is a necessary measure.”
– In 1986 you won the Goodwill Games, which were held in Moscow and were conceived as an alternative to the Olympic Games. Now in our sport there is a similar situation. How do you assess this trend? – This is a necessary measure. The Olympic Games cannot be compared to any competition. And the Goodwill Games, the Friendship Games, serve to provide material and spiritual support to the athletes. Every athlete has their own problems. The strong need to be supported to lead other people. Everything is interconnected, a chain reaction occurs. When a child sees Sadulayev or someone else, he wants to be like him, you know? The youth grows, the nation remains healthy. We must help the strong so that the majority of the weak follow them. People break down in difficult times. We need to keep our spirits up. Sports and athletes should exist, no matter what. They must have a future.
– Tell us the plans of the national team. What tasks does the coaching staff face now? – We hope to reach the Olympic Games. There is no guarantee yet. But I always think optimistically, I think of the good. Politics is a delicate matter. Life is changing and I think this cannot continue for long. The time will come when justice is restored. Be that as it may, everyone wants to live in peace. There will be sport and creativity again. We have no choice. Sport relieves a person’s workload. This is the best place to perform and express emotions.
Brilliant interview with Zaurbek Sidakov:
Exclusive
“We always have the Russian flag in our hearts.” Interview with the hero of the World Wrestling Championship
I wouldn’t do sports if I didn’t love people. Why should I hate them? I don’t understand. Today everyone who cancels sports is confused. They themselves do not understand what they are doing. They think it won’t affect them. Drug traffickers also work, earn money and think that they will not become drug addicts. But life is a boomerang. I’m not inventing anything, but everything comes back. This is inherent in nature. Sports and competitions help you become a normal person. There are competitive relationships between people. When Americans meet Russians, we hug each other. Love each other. All normal people, like us.
– How was your communication with the Americans at the World Cup? – There were no problems. Fighters are brave people. It’s stupid to be afraid. A sane person cannot be put in a frame. When limits appear, isn’t it a sport?
I think you can’t live in hate. Your body will also be unusable. You’re already getting sick. And sport is health. Some say there is little health in big sport. I don’t believe it. Of course, there are minor injuries, but they happen to anyone. But sport mobilizes.
If you maintain love for people, you will be a strong person. Many people confuse kindness with weakness. No! On the contrary, he is a very strong person. A good person can help, but a weak one will never do this. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with our desire to reach the competition. Sport is about individuals. All the qualities that exist in sport are transmitted to our children, our future. With all kinds of sanctions we destroy human nature.