The Central Federal District team became the winner of the third international youth Greco-Roman wrestling tournament “The Power of Traditions”, which ended in Kemerovo.
The competition was organized by the Kuzbass government and the Novosibirsk regional public fund “Karelin Fund”. The tournament brought together 148 athletes divided into 12 teams of 12 people aged 15 to 16 years old. Teams from the federal districts of Russia, as well as the national teams of Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, competed for the main prize: an original challenge cup made of onyx and jade. Special prizes have been prepared for the members of the winning team: unique wristwatches with the symbols of the competition.
“Hosting an international competition of this magnitude is a great honor for Kuzbass. There was already a period in the history of our country when we were not allowed to participate in international competitions. Our athletes then proved to the whole world that despite all obstacles, sport can overcome anything. We are proud of them. Today, history repeats itself. The time will come when we will shine again on the world stage. You are our future champions! – said the governor of the Kemerovo region Sergei Tsivilev in his welcoming speech to the guests and participants of the competition.
The wrestlers also received words of encouragement from the three-time Olympic winner and nine-time world champion. Alexander Kareline .
“A magnificent room with endless possibilities has been created here. Show the brightest wrestling so that residents of Kuzbass who love this sport will bring their children to these wonderful coaches. Congratulations to everyone, thank you very much to Kuzbass and to each of those who came to share this holiday with us,” said Alexandre Kareline.
On the eve of the tournament, famous athletes came to the region. So, master classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling at the Kuzbass State Center were organized by Olympic champions, multiple winners of the World and European Championships Roman Vlasov, Nazir Mankiev, Stepan Maryanyan, Abdulrashid Sadulaev , Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov. The guys learned the technique of hip throws, handwork and headlocks. The training ended with an autograph session and a souvenir photo.
A master class was held in Leninsk-Kuznetsky with the participation of two-time Olympic champions in artistic gymnastics Svetlana Khorkina, Maria Filatova, Olympic champion Evgeniy Podgorny and Olympic silver medalist Anastasia Ilyankova. The guests highlighted the excellent facilities and high professional level of the gymnastics school team, wishing them further success.
Olympic champions and winners of the World and European Championships Roman Vlasov, Nazir Mankiev, Stepan Maryanyan, Kamandar Majidov, Mnatsakan Iskandaryan met with KemSU students: they talked about sports, shared their expectations from the tournament “Power of traditions ”, as well as personal aspects. stories and secrets of success.
As part of the tournament, legendary Russian athletes held master classes in various sports and autograph sessions for young residents of the region.
In a tense final match, the wrestlers of the Central Federal District team won against the team of the North Caucasus Federal District only on additional indicators.
The team from the Central Federal District immediately had a five-point handicap, since the fight in the lightest weight (42 kg) did not take place due to the illness of the representative of the North Caucasus. But after the fifth match, the team from the North Caucasus Federal District, hot on the heels of the opponent, took the initiative and led with a score of 3:2.
Now the team from the Central Federal District found itself in a catching role, and shortly before the end of the match it was very close to defeat. In the tenth fight, the wrestler from the Central Federal District Bilal Kadzov confidently led, but was injured, heroically brought the fight to the end and still lost to his opponent with a difference of one point. However, in a critical situation, the heavyweights of the Central Federal District gathered their forces and transformed the 4:6 into 6:6.
According to additional indicators, the winner was the team from the Central Federal District (27:22), which last year took second place in the “Power of Traditions”.
The results of the “Power of Traditions 2023” tournament, which ended today in Kemerovo, were summed up at a press conference with the participation of the greatest wrestler of the 20th century, Alexander Karelin, and the winning team of the competition.
This year’s tournament proved experimental. It took place according to a new scheme – with two group stages and draws.
— I am grateful to the judges and mentors. After the second draw, the coaches adjusted their settings and the guys fought well. The finale turned out to be interesting. But if it were not for the injury of a wrestler from the North Caucasus, who did not get on the mat, the team from the Central Federal District would, of course, have had fewer chances of winning, noted Alexander Karelin. — The guys were convinced that in the “wall-to-wall” format, overall success depends on everyone. You may stumble at one point and then catch yourself. And we’ve seen several such examples during this tournament.
The Central Federal District team won the final, which ended with a score of 6:6. Everything was decided by extra points, of which the Central Federal District team had 5 more than its opponent (27:22). Heavyweight Grigory Vasin, competing in the 120 kg category, was calm at the crucial moment, although the outcome of the deciding match depended on his fight.
“I knew if I won, my team would win too.” But nothing changed for me, the fight plan remained the same even in this difficult situation: work in my own way, put pressure on my opponent, be wary of his techniques,” explained Grigory, who competed for the title. first time this year at the “Power of Traditions” tournament.
The coach of the Central Federal District team, Felix Avakov, who coached the 2008 Olympic champion Islam-bek Albiev, also spoke. He recounted how this “golden” team was “born”:
— We formed the team for the tournament based on the results of the All-Russian competitions and selected the best from the Central Federal District. We were only focused on winning, for such a holiday and we could not do it otherwise,” explained Avakov.
And the captain of the Central Federal District team, Mikhail Shkarin, who has experience of participating in the World Championship, compared the two tournaments.
— In terms of organization, “The Power of Traditions” is not inferior to the World Championship. “Everything was prepared at a very high level – from the opening ceremony to the training conditions and the excellent gym in which we fought,” Shkarin noted.
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.
