There are 108 days left before the Paris Games, and the double Olympic champion, one of the best wrestlers on the planet Abdulrashid Sadulayev I can’t yet be sure that it will happen in France. We meet him at the Baku airport, and it’s funny, because according to all the latest news, Sadulayev cannot be in Azerbaijan. He was supposed to be there to compete for an Olympic license on April 7, but the captain of the Russian freestyle wrestling team was not allowed to start. Sadulayev is now preparing for the Russian championship and waiting to see what happens next.
— I learned that you will not play in Baku on the night of April 4, 10 hours before departure. When did you discover it?
– The night. In the morning I had to fly, and in the evening I learned from the president of the federation, Mikhail Gerazievich Mamiashvili, that I was not allowed. Of course, this was a shock to me and I only slept in the morning. Until the last moment, I hoped that the problem would be solved somehow. Of course, it’s a shame when I went through all the training, underwent such an operation – I had a herniation of the cervical spine, I was operated on by Dmitry Nikolaevich Dzukaev – I was rehabilitated, and at At the end, at the finish line, they tell you it’s impossible. Very disappointing. I haven’t seen the decision itself yet, I’m waiting for a letter because there are no specific words. I’m not getting discouraged, I’m not giving up, I’m preparing for the Russian championship.
“A day apart, two pieces of news came: first, that you will take the plane to Baku, second, that you will not take the plane…
“It’s just that I was planning to go from here to the little Umrah pilgrimage, I had already bought tickets.” And at first I thought that the problem would be solved, I was waiting for the results of the draw and until the last I thought that I would fight. And then I realized there was no point in stealing here. I returned from Ossetia, bought a ticket and flew to Baku at night.
– What mood are you in?
– Now the president of the federation Mikhail Mamiashvili and Nenad Lalovich told me that they will talk with Bach and the IOC leadership, we are waiting for developments, as you say, journalists.
— Alikhan Zhabrailov took a license for your weight category. Were you happy when he won the fight?
– Certainly. This makes me happy. And the fact that she’s not named is also a good thing. Alikhan is also happy, he always steps on my heels and does not let me relax.
– Despite the fact that he is older than you…
– It’s a sport, anything can happen here, whoever trains the most wins. I was now in perfect shape, very good. It’s a shame when you have everything, but you can’t realize it.
—Everyone is talking about your fight with Snyder. Don’t you have the feeling that the fight with Tazhudinov has become more fundamental (Akhmed Tazhudinov won against Sadulayev at the World Championships. – )?
– There is no principle. If I get to the Olympics, there will already be a fight there. If he had had principles – he trains with me at the gym – there would have been a fight there. I myself would like this to be done on a global level.
– How much do you weigh?
— I don’t run much, my weight is 97-98 kg, maximum 100 kg.
— Where did Snyder write you a message?
– We are in touch [в мессенджере], he calls me once or twice a month. Our wrestlers have a brotherhood, we communicate. We are only rivals on the mat. And with the same Alikhan [Жабраиловым] We only have a sporting interest. This does not extend to personal relationships.
— When Kyle Snyder arrived in Dagestan, it was clear that he was given a lot of things. Which of these did you give?
– We gave everything as a gift. With people. They awarded him the title of honorary citizen of the Charodinsky district and gave him land.
— What is your favorite place in the Charodinsky district?
— Where I grew up: I like Tsurib and Iriba. There is a waterfall a little further from Iriba, it is called Chirkhalyu, a very beautiful place. I really like to relax there, I invite everyone.
— If you don’t have access, do you imagine you’ll just go to Paris with the team?
– I don’t know, I didn’t think about it, I always think that I will go with the team to fight. There are a lot of questions for me that I can’t find the answers to. And I don’t want to make any loud statements.
— When will you have your next training session?
— In three or four days I will return and immediately go to Makhachkala for the training camp before the Russian Championship.
Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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.
