Coach Andrei Vostrikov told that judoka Irina Zueva wants to score points and move as high as possible in the Olympic rankings after winning the Russian championship.
The Russian FONBET judo championship began on Wednesday in Kemerovo. A native of Chelyabinsk, Zueva became a champion in the weight category up to 57 kg. In the final she defeated Lyubov Timofeycheva.
— Give a brief assessment of Irina Zueva’s performance.
– Gold medal, we are happy with it. The championship was not as easy as one might think. For two or three years, Irina has often fought with her rivals who were here. Naturally, everyone studies each other, it becomes difficult to find the keys to victory both for rivals and for Irina. The fights were complex and intense, culminating in a battle of intellects: who would deceive and catch whom, whose action would lead to success. I’m glad it happened this way. The finale always covers the preliminary fights, where something might have gone wrong.
— Could it have been easier for Irina because she didn’t have such an abrupt time zone change?
– We are preparing for it, it is not a youth competition, the people are already adults. Flying, moving, changing time zones: we all already know this. Of course, somewhere it is easier, because the Urals are closer to Siberia. But everyone is in the same conditions, since specialized and competent coaches lead their athletes to competitions in advance. Tournaments are held in different parts of the globe, but for us the country of Kemerovo was happy.
— What are Irina’s future plans?
— First, rest, then several international tournaments are planned. I don’t want to talk about it so as not to hurt them. Everything must happen.
—Are we talking about the Grand Slam stages?
— Yes, I cannot say yet, because the list has not been approved, it would be incorrect. We hope that we will be in the application. We will see it soon when the compositions are published.
— What is Irina’s overall goal?
— The overall objective is to earn points and progress in the Olympic rankings. I hope something happens and there is some sort of clearance. We are also preparing for the Friendship Games, which will take place next year.
Irina now fulfills the standard of “International-class Master of Sports of Russia” since she won the Russian Judo Tour tournament in Chelyabinsk.
— Can Irina compete with Ksenia Galitskaya?
– They are about the same level. Simply with its own lighting characteristics. “It all depends on luck and the opportunity to realize your potential in competitions,” Vostrikov told .
The Russian Judo Championship will end on October 1. Live broadcasts of the tournament can be viewed on Match Group television channels, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
