Hamza Barhoumi: "I'm Disappointed That I Have Failed To Show My Abilities"

Silver medalist of the African SAMBO Championships in the up to 90 kg weight category Hamza Barhoumi looked upset after the final fight. He had failed to win the competition in his homeland, Tunisia. In his interview to the FIAS website, the sambist touched upon the unusual weight category, performance on the native home ground, and on the first steps of Tunisia in the organization of international tournaments.

- What prevented you from winning in the finals?

- A whole range of reasons: my insufficient level of technical physical training, not being in my best shape.

- Nevertheless, the silver medal is a medal, too. Maybe you should not get so upset?

- It was not the value of the medal but rather the fact that I failed to show my abilities, the skills I’ve got which made me disappointed. And it happened because I was fighting in a weight category that was unusual for me – 90 kg. My standard weight is 82 kg. I learned about the invitation to the African SAMBO Championships at the very last minute and had no time to prepare myself.

- Did your native home ground help you reach the finals in any way?

- Honestly, not really. On the whole, I would like to see the African SAMBO Championships in my country being held at the highest possible level, and the hall was crowded with spectators. However, it was the debut tournament for this country, and now we are just making our first steps in terms of organizing such major competitions and do not always get what we would like. But after all, it was only the beginning.