THE FIRST AMONG THE STRONGEST

News about the latest success of Azerbaijani wrestlers has come from Tehran. Having won a prestigious trophy at the World Cup held in the Iranian capital, Azerbaijan's Greco-Roman wrestlers have added a new chapter to the history of the national sport.

The Azerbaijani wrestlers of Greco-Roman style were drawn to compete in group A, together with athletes from Iran, Sweden and Germany, whereas group B included wrestlers from Russia, Hungary, Turkey and Armenia.

Before going to Iran, Jamshid Heyrabadi's trainees, who became bronze medallists at last year's World Cup, made no secret of their aspiration to win the competition. However, it must be admitted that experts rated the chances of the Azerbaijani team as not very high since it was drawn into the same group with the host team of Iran. Indeed, Iranian wrestlers have nearly always achieved very good results at home. As was anticipated, the decisive factor of our success was the victory over the national team of Iran at the group stage.

In a hot contest, Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestlers won a bout with the hosts, Iranian wrestlers, with a score of 6:2, then defeated their opponents from the German and Swedish teams with the same score of 7:1 and finished the group stage at the top of the table. This result enabled the Azerbaijani team to reach the final of the World Cup for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan's Greco-Roman wrestling.

Having won a ticket to the finals, the team of Azerbaijan thus surpassed its last year's success. However, the team members stated that they intended to return from Iran with the main prize, not with silver medals. A decider against Russia would be best remembered not only for its uncompromising character but also for dramatic moments. The Russian team, which had won the World Cup two years ago, lost only in the final last year. The Russians brought to Tehran their best wrestlers including the Olympic champion, Roman Vlasov. Following eight bouts in the final, the score was still equal (4:4). After Elman Muxtarov (55 kg) lost to Zaur Kabaloev, Hasan Aliyev (66 kg) took revenge by defeating Artem Surkov. Next Rasul Cunayev (71 kg) proved to be stronger than Chingiz Labazanov, but Roman Vlasov (75 kg) restored the balance in the score by defeating Elvin Mirzayev. Then the Azerbaijani team won two bouts in a row - Rafiq Huseynov (80 kg) defeated Evgeny Saleev and Islam Abbasov floored David Chakvetadze. However, the Russians refused to be defeated and managed to even the score - Nikita Melnikov (98 kg) emerged victorious over Orxan Nuriyev and Sergey Semenov (120 kg) over Sabah Shariati. As a result, the national team of Azerbaijan, which had scored more points (18:17), became the winner of the World Cup on tie-breaks.

Rafiq Huseynov, who wrestled in the weight category of 80 kg, showed the best result from among all the members of the Azerbaijani squad. He participated in all bouts and celebrated victory in all of them. Hasan Aliyev (66 kg) and Rasul Cunayev (71 kg) also performed with confidence, each winning all three bouts for which they were selected by the coaches.

Finishing the World Cup tournament in Iran undefeated, the Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestling team has thus finalized its composition for future competitions. It is unlikely that the head coach, Jamshid Heyrabadi, would attempt any changes in the composition of the victorious team in the upcoming events. Wrestlers which were successful in Iran will most probably perform in the European Games too.

Noting the high intensity of the competition at the World Cup, head coach of Azerbaijan's Greco-Roman wrestling Jamshid Heyrabadi said in an interview with R+ that the Azerbaijani team had achieved a deserved victory: "I am glad that I am the head coach of such a strong team as the Azerbaijani squad. Our wrestlers performed at the highest level in all of their bouts. We have defeated the strong teams of Iran and Russia and proved that we are a team worthy of the World Cup."

Member of the national squad Rasul Cunayev believes that this victory will stimulate the development of wrestling: "I congratulate all of my teammates on the victory as well as everyone who contributed to this victory. We fought very strenuous bouts. We intend to enhance this success in the future, as it inspires us to new and higher achievements."

Islam Abbasov also shared his impressions: "I am very happy, like all members of our team. It was a very difficult competition. By winning matches with such teams as the national squads of Iran and Russia, we have demonstrated our strength to the whole world. Although we experienced an unfair treatment by referees in the final, we fought to the end and managed to score a victory."

After returning home, the wrestlers were received by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. He congratulated the athletes on a bright victory, comparing this success of the Azerbaijani wrestling school to the conquering of summits and attributing it to the efficient organization of activity of the Wrestling Federation. The head of state noted that the success achieved by athletes at the European and world championships and the Olympic Games stimulate increased interest of children and young people in this sport that is loved so much in Azerbaijan. Touching on the development of sports in Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the appreciation shown by the world community for Azerbaijani sport. Having mentioned the increase in the number of medals won at prestigious international competitions every year, the President noted the importance of creating a perfect sports infrastructure in the country.

Ilham Aliyev specially emphasized that the winning of the World Cup by the national team, which defeated the strongest wrestlers in the world, is an indication of the mighty team spirit of the Azerbaijani athletes. The President expressed hope that the wrestlers would emulate this success in the upcoming European Games in Baku and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

AT FIRST HAND

"There have been strong athletes in Azerbaijan at all times. But if to recall the Soviet times, one can note that we did not have any major accomplishments in sports. Only in the period of independence, Azerbaijan has been able to achieve high results in the world arena. Only in the period of independence, our Olympic champions as well as world and European champions have managed to put up a good performance, and their number is gradually increasing. Look how many Olympic champions we have today. We have never had so many Olympic champions before."

Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan