Feruza KHUROZOVA: “I always want to show character”

A sambist from Uzbekistan, 20-year-old Feruza Khurozova, showed off at the Asia and Oceania SAMBO Championships in Macau. The representative of Uzbekistan, who had not previously taken part in competitions under the auspices of FIAS at the adult level, showed remarkable character and literally grabbed the “gold”.

– Feruza, what does this victory mean to you?

– It is very dear to me. I dreamed of achieving significant success and I am glad that I succeeded. SAMBO is my whole life. You can’t imagine what emotions are overwhelming me right now.

– Do you feel proud?

– Not without it, because this is the most significant achievement in my career. I would like to thank everyone who had a hand in my upbringing, not only as a person, but also as an athlete.

– How did you manage to defeat both the current world champion, Kazakhstani Arailym Abenova, and the famous Filipino Sydney Sy in one tournament?

– If I knew the exact answer to this question (laughs). I just tried to do what I was taught. Of course, during a fight you act on instincts. However, I know for sure that I always want to show character, even when the fight develops according to the wrong scenario.

– Surely the fact that you represent your country is motivating.

– Not that word. You feel a special responsibility, you try not to let you down, the strength comes from somewhere.

– The same, how this happen in the final, when you were losing with a score of 0:1?

– Exactly. Everything happened so lightning fast that I myself didn’t really have time to understand how I ended up on top of my opponent after the move and performed a hold. My head turned off for a while due to an excessive desire to prove to everyone that I was capable of much.

– Not long before this, the referees angered you...

– Yeah. They gave Sydney a point in the middle of the fight. It seemed to them that I did not perform the sweep according to the rules, although I did everything according to science. At this moment I got seriously wound up. Apparently that’s why I “shot” almost immediately and ran to get even...

– In the semi-finals, did you feel it was noticeably harder for you?

– This is probably due to the fact that Arailym has strong hands. She doesn't move too fast, but her grip is good. It takes a lot of effort just to break free from her embrace and not make the situation worse. However, Sydney is also not an easy girl; she knows how to impose her will and use her size.

– After such a debut, the next goal is obviously the World Championships?

– Yes. I hope that I will perform successfully in the fall, although there will be even more top-class competitors in Astana.