Nurzhan TUMYRZAYEV: "Respect for your opponent is the most important thing"

Kazakh athlete Nurzhan Tumyrzayev won a gold medal in the 53 kg weight category in Sport SAMBO among youth at the World Cadet, Youth and Junior Championships held in Larnaca (Cyprus). After the final bout, he shared his emotions from the past fight with the FIAS website.

Nurzhan, in the final you made three effective technical moves, winning an early victory, and on the way to the final you defeated three strong opponents.

– Yes, today I wrestled with Greek, Ukrainian and Azerbaijani athletes, and in the final I defeated an opponent from Uzbekistan.

How did you manage to do it?

– Everything is in the hands of Allah. And, of course, I want to thank my coach, Darkhan Serzhanov, from the bottom of my heart, the best coach on Earth, without whom I would never have achieved such success. He became world champion when I was just born, and it is training under his guidance that gives me such a strong motivation to go out on the mat and win.

Was he your second during the day?

– Yes, he helped me a lot, gave me advice during the bout and made a huge contribution to my victory at the preparatory stage.

Were you able to perform your signature move today?

– Yes, I did, a throw from the knee. Three times today: with an Uzbek, Ukrainian and Greek athlete.

On the mat, you are distinguished not only by good technique, but also by a very respectful attitude towards your opponents. After you were declared the winner of the final bout, you even raised the hand of the Uzbek athlete, apparently in recognition of his strength and skill.

– That’s right, respect for your opponent is always the most important thing. I was brought up like this: an athlete should always treat his opponents with respect.

You were supported by fans in the hall, judging by the noise, there were quite a few of them. Did it help you?

– Yes, of course it helped. I heard and felt the support of my team, our fans, it motivated me even more. I just couldn’t lose.

You became a two-time winner of the World Cadet, Youth and Junior SAMBO Championships among youth. What’s next?

– I would like to compete in junior competitions next year: a new peak and only “gold”.