Elizaveta Lapaeva: “I'm on cloud nine right now”

Belarusian sambist Elizaveta Lapaeva claimed gold in the under-59 kg Combat SAMBO category at the World SAMBO Cup, held 19-20 September in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Speaking to the FIAS website right after her final victory, she talked about her tactics against different opponents – and how she's waiting for the moment Belarus's anthem plays in the arena.

– Elizaveta, judging by the final bout, you leaned heavily on striking. Was that the plan?

– Yes. I knew my opponent was strong on takedowns, and I understood I could lose because of that. So the plan was to strike and keep her at a distance.

– She still went for a takedown attempt, though, and you stopped her.

– I'd been working on takedown defence, and my coaches told me: the moment she shoots in, try to catch her with an uppercut. That's exactly what I did.

– How much does your opponent's stance matter to you?

– I mostly work in an orthodox stance, but I can switch to southpaw too — I'm comfortable in both. Here it worked well to fight orthodox against another orthodox fighter. I tried to target her lead hand, the one she jabs with, and kept circling right to take away her kicks.

– There was a great moment when your opponent went for a throw and you countered for four points. Was that improvised, or something you'd drilled?

– Fighting is situational and unpredictable. That one came down to instinct and experience.

– You had some tough bouts before the final. How would you rate them?

– The first was against the Russian athlete – really tough. She's strong on the feet, throws both punches and kicks. What my coach and I planned beforehand changed once the bout started, but I managed to counter her and send her down with a strike. After that, I focused on holding my advantage until the end.

The second was against the athlete from Kazakhstan. She's strong on the feet too – I believe she has a boxing background. I knew I could come up short there, but I wanted the win, so I went for the grappling exchange instead. She's a striker, not a grappler, so I closed the distance, got into a hold, and threw her twice for four points each time.

– Today you're competing under your national flag. How much does that mean to you?

– I'm so proud. I've dreamed for a long time about standing on the podium and hearing my own anthem. I'm on cloud nine right now. At the World SAMBO Cup my anthem has never played for me before, but it will today, and I really can't wait for that moment.

– What does this World Cup title mean for you going forward?

– The goal is to keep moving forward – toward the World and European Championships. This isn't a reason to stop; it's a push forward. It gives me more motivation and more belief in myself.