Mayis NERSESYAN: “Seeing the flag and hearing the anthem of your country is a special pride”

Armenian athlete Mayis Nersesyan won a gold medal in the up to 64 kg weight category in Combat SAMBO at the European Championships held in Novi Sad (Serbia). After the award ceremony, he shared his emotions with the FIAS website, talked about preparations for the tournament and the match that turned out to be the most difficult.

– If you compare the final and semi-final matches, the emotions were different. The semi-final with the Ukrainian athlete turned out to be very difficult. Alexander managed to make a grab and go for a choke. To be honest, I had great difficulty coping with it. After that, the fight began to develop in my favor. In fact, this became a dress rehearsal for the finale.

So the semi-final was harder than the final?

– After I managed to get out of the strangulation, I gained additional self-confidence. It helped me get through the final match with dignity. It was my day, I would like to especially thank all my competitors for a high-quality and truly competitive fight.

What does this victory mean to you, since it was the first gold medal in two days for the Armenian team?

– A lot of things. At first, all our finalists lost before, so the price of this medal is even higher, and this is a very big plus for our team. I am proud that I was able to win gold for my country.

When you stood on the podium, the Armenian anthem was playing. What does this mean to you?

– It is very important for me. This is exactly why every athlete trains for years, in order to experience these emotions. We can say that all my many years of training were for the sake of today. Seeing the flag and hearing the anthem of your country is a special pride and a special feeling that is difficult to put into words.

This is the taste of victory...

– Yes exactly. There is a big difference between a bronze or silver and a gold medal.

How did you prepare for the European Championships? What was the plan before going on the ьфе?

– Before the competition we had training camps, we were actively preparing. I focused on working on my strengths, and the coaches helped me a lot with this. I would like to thank the National Sambo Federation of Armenia for the opportunity provided, for everything that its leadership does for us and for the development of SAMBO in the Republic. I especially want to thank the President of the Federation Mikael Hayrapetyan, as well as all the coaches of the national team.

So, did you have a plan for the fight or did the fight develop spontaneously?

– Yes, I understood that I needed to focus on using my strengths, and during the performance I already adjusted my plan for the fight.

Did you manage to perform your signature move today?

– I like to do a pick-up – step out on one leg and throw over my leg. Yes, today I succeeded. Perhaps the victory was won precisely because of this...