THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO BE DETERMINED TO WIN

Having become the winner of the first European Games, the multiple world and European champion in karate Rafayil Agayev fully lived up to expectations.

Beating Ukrainian athlete Ilya Nikulin with a score of 3:0 in Group A, the Azerbaijani karateka all of a sudden lost the second match to the representative of Turkey Erman Eltemur - 3:5. However, getting a grip on himself, Rafayil passed the group stage in the weight category of 75 kg, winning the last bout against Ruslan Sadiqov, who represented the Latvian team, with a score of 3:1. In the semifinals, Agayev won one point from the German athlete Noah Bitsch, and in the closing seconds of the final match he knocked out Italian Luigi Busa with an accurate hit, bringing another gold medal of the European Games to Azerbaijan.

"Before the semi-finals, I wasn't happy with my performance, I couldn't brace myself. Therefore, I had difficulty in the bout with the Turkish athlete. And rivals were the strongest in the world. I had encountered the Italian nine times, seven of which he won. In any case, I'm happy to have won the gold. Before the contest, I only thought about this. We prepared long and hard for this tournament, as the holding of the first European Games in Baku is a great achievement. Therefore, we, the athletes, too, had to perform with dignity," Rafayil said in an interview with Region Plus.

He also clarified why he objected when the fans applauded, shouting his name. "In the bout, it's necessary to be able to concentrate, so in the final I tried to fight in a quiet environment, and the cries of Rafayil from the stands distracted me. Let the fans not take offence, I'm grateful to all for their support. It's just that at that moment I had to demanded silence. So I was forced to give them a signal with my hand. The role of supporting people in our victories is great. But there're times when an athlete needs to collect his thoughts," the gold medallist of the European Games said.

Agayev also admitted that to fight in the European Games he chose completely different tactics. "The main thing is the result. It doesn't matter if the score is 5:1 or 1:0. You're right, in most of the bouts I didn't take risks. I was biding my time and dealt a decisive blow, winning the bout. I should note that first of all, I sought to protect myself from injuries. On the other hand, the risk is not always justified. I forced the rival to attack - they knew that otherwise it would be difficult to score points. The head coach had also instructed me to wait in the wings. The slightest mistake could disrupt all plans. It was because of such an error that I lost one bout in the group stage. But the main thing is the result: I've got a gold medal," Rafayil said.

The winner of the first European Games insists that successes will be prolonged, "I believe that the success will continue. It's an honour to win a gold medal and then defend it. As long as I haven't run out of strength, I will sing the national anthem of Azerbaijan. 2014 was a failure for me. I was injured, had surgery twice and remained aloof from the sport. But today, I'm happy. I dedicate my victory to my mother and to all the people of Azerbaijan."

The holder of all possible awards and titles in karate is sure that the "gold" of the first European Games will play an important role in his future career.

"I won world and European championship, various prestigious tournaments. Now I also won the European Games. The medal of this competition will take a special place in my collection. It's very beautiful. We've been writing this history together. The only medal that is missing in my collection is the Olympic one. But karate, as you know, is not included in the programme of the Summer Olympic Games. If this happens once, and my age permitting, I'm happy to take part in the Olympic Games," Agayev hoped. 

The award-winning karateka refrained from making any predictions about his other teammates. He just congratulated the winners and wished success to all the others: "I congratulate all the athletes who achieved success in the European Games. But I'm against condemning those who couldn't get a medal. In sports, anything can happen. Sometimes a strong athlete loses because of the slightest mistake. Some people can't express themselves due to poor mental preparedness. This shows that we must have comprehensive training. Everyone expected a gold medal from our teammate Sahin Atamov. It just didn't happen. Atamov was quite a strong athlete, he is the captain of our team. I'm sure that his victory is still ahead."

It must be noted that Rafayil Agayev was handed the gold medal personally by the head of the Organizing Committee of the first European Games, First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva.