NOT A DAY WITHOUT A GOLD MEDAL

In August 2012, all sports fans watched ups and downs of the competition at the Olympic Games in London. Before the Games, everyone including sports officials, athletes and fans had high expectations for the performance of Azerbaijani Olympians. Three years ago, wrestlers became the main medallists. Their action was scheduled towards the end of the Olympics, and so the gold medals were collected by the Azerbaijani team at the closing stages of the Games.

This time, the organizers of the inaugural European Games drew up a competition programme in such a way that the tournament was opened up by wrestlers. And the Azerbaijani athletes performed, metaphorically speaking, under the motto "not a day without a gold medal", having won the highest awards on five of the six competition days.

Azerbaijani wrestlers have won a total of 15 medals at the European Games, including six gold medals. Notably, the wrestlers have never collected so many medals at any of the previous continental championships. Last year, at the European Championship in Finland, Azerbaijani wrestlers had 10 medals under their belt, including three gold medals; in 2013, at the European Championship in Georgia, they were awarded seven medals but no gold medals. The 2010 European Championship in Baku, where the Azerbaijani team collected seven highest awards, still remains the most successful continental championship for our wrestlers in terms of the number of gold medals won.

There is no European wrestling championship this year, and so the European Games have become a full-scale practice before the world championship, to be held in the United States, which will offer qualification opportunities for the summer Olympic Games. Thus, the European Games are the last major tournament where the performance of the candidates for the World Championship in Los Angeles can be evaluated.

Moreover, given the importance of wrestling for the Azerbaijani national squad in terms of winning medals, the European Games allow us to assess the chances of our wrestlers for the awards at the Olympic Games in Brazil next year. Consequently the Baku competitions have provided ample food for thought.

Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestlers have performed brilliantly at the European Games, winning six medals in total - two medals of each kind. Compared with the achievements of wrestlers in the last two years, it is a big step forward, as the classic-style wrestlers were unable to win a single gold medal at the world and European championships in the past two years, limiting themselves to only silver and bronze. Therefore, two gold medals at Baku 2015 can be a good springboard for our wrestlers to successfully perform at the World Championship in the United States and gain the greatest possible number of licenses for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The victories of Rasul Cunayev and Elvin Mursaliyev at the Baku Games can give them extra confidence, as they have not previously won gold medals at senior level in major tournaments such as the European or world championships.

However, Olympic medals will be up for grabs in six categories, not eight, as at the European Games or world and European championships. The 71 kg and 80 kg weight categories, in which Cunayev took gold and Rafiq Huseynov silver in Baku, will not be represented in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Olympics in Rio. Cunayev has already announced his intention to return to the 66 kg category, where he will have to compete with Hasan Aliyev. Thus, one of them will most likely not make it to Brazil.

Evaluating the performance of our wrestlers in general, it should be noted that they need to enhance their psychological stability and ability to withstand pressure, including that of the stands. Also, let us not forget that the Russian national team, which sets the pace in wrestling, took gold in 5 of the 8 categories in Baku. Therefore, our wrestlers will have to make more efforts at the World Championship in the United States, and especially in Rio, to climb to the top of the podium.

Freestyle wrestling

Just as the Greco-Roman wrestlers, freestylers have also won six medals at the European Games in Baku, two of which were of the highest standard and four were of the bronze tint. If to take into account the weight classes, in which medals will be up for grabs in Rio, then the Azerbaijani freestylers have won only four medals. Bronze of Ruslan Dibirgaciyev (70 kg) and Haci Aliyev (61 kg) is only relevant at European and world championships, since wrestlers will not compete in these weight classes at the Olympic Games next year.

In evaluating the performances of wrestlers, we should note a number of positive points. First, an impressive comeback of Togrul Asgarov to the top of the podium. After the triumph at the Olympic Games in London, he withdrew into the shadows for various reasons. There had been doubts that he would be able to return to his former level, but Asgarov demonstrated his usual high-class wrestling at the European Games. If Togrul continues in the same spirit, his chances of winning in Rio will be high.

Secondly, one cannot but feel happy for Xetaq Qazyumov, who became the winner in the 97 kg weight category. In 2014, Qazyumov took silver at the European and world championships, losing in the final to Russian wrestler Abdusalam Gadisov in both cases. In Baku, Qazyumov defeated Gadisov in a semi-final, and let us hope that good fortune will accompany him after his bout with the Russian wrestler. However, in order to get to Rio, Qazyumov will have to win the competition with his teammate and Olympic Champion Sarif Sarifov.

Haci Aliyev and Ruslan Dibirgaciyev, the winners of last year's World Championship in Finland, took bronze at the European Games. However, as has already been noted, there will be no weight categories of 61 kg and 70 kg for wrestlers in Rio. Therefore, Aliyev and Dibirgaciyev will have to switch over to another weight classes if they want to get into the Olympic team. In so doing, both of them will have serious competitors. These are Togrul Asgarov wrestling in the 65 kg class and Cabrayil Hasanov, who has successfully performed in the 74 kg class for a long time.

In any event, at the World Championship in the United States and at the Olympic Games in Brazil, wrestlers of the Azerbaijani national team will be seriously challenged by their competitors from other countries - primarily from Russia and Iran. Russian wrestlers have won five gold and two bronze medals in Baku. Traditionally, there are excellent wrestlers in the US national team, while in the small weight classes wrestlers from South Korea, the DPRK and Japan can offer stiff competition to all opponents.

Women's wrestling

In women's wrestling, Azerbaijani athletes took three medals at the European Games in Baku, including two gold medals. This is the best achievement of the team in the period after the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the European Championships in 2013-2014 and the World Championship in 2014, female athletes always had two medals to their credit, and only at the 2013 World Championship they took one medal.

As always, the master of the mat was Mariya Stadnik, whose performance was a pleasure to watch. Speed, efficiency and a wide array of technical tricks make Stadnik one of the main favourites of any tournament in which she participates. It is for her that Azerbaijan will have its medal expectations at the upcoming World Championship in the USA and the Olympic Games in Brazil. And we can only hope that Mariya will become an Olympic champion at her third attempt. What she needs is a little of good luck in Rio next year because all other prerequisites for becoming a champion are already at her disposal.

The success at the European Games was the first major achievement at senior level for another Baku champion, Angela Dorogan. Admittedly, it will be difficult for her to emulate this accomplishment at the World Championship in the United States. On the other hand, Dorogan has sensed the taste of victory, and this is a strong feeling that can help her reach a qualitatively new level.

Meanwhile, Natalya Sinisha has become a bronze medallist in Baku competing in the 55 kg class but her weight category is also non-Olympic. Therefore, she will have to move either to the 53 kg class and compete with Dorogan for a place in the team or to the 58 kg class and compete with Irina Netreba, who stopped just one step short of the podium at the European Games.

The road to Rio

The European Games have demonstrated that Azerbaijani wrestlers have adapted to the new rules of wrestling. It must be noted that the reform in wrestling made this sport much more entertaining and interesting. The number of takedowns has increased appreciably, the element of chance has been reduced to a minimum and the victory usually comes to those who want it more and make more efforts. And the bouts have markedly grown in dynamics.

In addition, the European Games in Baku have once again confirmed that Azerbaijan is considered to be one of the leaders of the wrestling community for a good reason. Since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the wrestlers have been the main suppliers of medals to the collection of the national squad. These positions of wrestlers have been further strengthened in London in 2012. Accordingly, the expectations for wrestlers in Rio in terms of medals will be very high. Of course, this is sport, and no-one can guarantee any athlete a medal in advance. However, it is in wrestling that our prospects for medals are most bright. We just need to realize this potential. But the road to Rio in 2016 lies through Las Vegas in the fall of 2015, and the European Games in Baku can be considered as a dress rehearsal for the start of this difficult and long road. And in 14 months, at the end of this trying path, one will only wish to shout "bravo" to the Azerbaijani wrestlers again and again.