Reflections of the Winners of the 1st Day of the World Youth and Junior SAMBO Championships in Tashkent

The World Youth and Junior SAMBO Championships was held in Uzbekistan from 11 to 13 October. Sambists from 30 countries competed for the title of the strongest on SAMBO mats in Tashkent. Emotions of the winners of the first day of the competitions - in their interview to the FIAS website. General sponsor of the tournament is Rosneft oil company.

Liliana SALIMIANOVA (Russia), a gold medal winner in the up to 44 kg weight category among Juniors (W):

- I came out to the mat with determination to win. My final combat turned out to be anything but easy, during the fight I tried to apply a submission hold, but my opponent was able to avoid it. Hence, in order to win, I had to work harder, attack more.

At international competitions, the motivation is especially high, as when I come out to the mat I perform not only for myself, but also for my country. But still, the main secret of victory is faith in your dream. When you truly believe in it, nothing is impossible.

Arhat ANUARBEK (Kazakhstan), gold medal in the weight category up to 62 kg among Juniors (M):

- I can't put into words all the feelings I feel at the moment. I am very happy, because it was the first time I competed at the World Youth and Junior SAMBO Championships — and immediately won the gold medal.

What is the secret of success? I guess I just worked hard in training. And at the tournament I tried together with the trainer to be adjusted correctly and to build tactics for a duel. The main thing that the trainer constantly repeated to me, - to fight for capture.

My opponent in the final from Mongolia was stronger than me physically. I tried to win through technique and speed. I'm glad I did. By the way, this hall is happy for me: two years ago I fought in Tashkent at the Asian Championships and also won — became the Champion of Asia among Youth.

This year I fought for the last time on Youth superiority, now it is necessary to pass completely to adult level. I will miss the World SAMBO Championships in Korea, but in the future I hope that I will be able to compete for the "adult" medals of the next tournaments.

Saruul OTGONBAYAR (Mongolia), gold medal in the weight category 68 kg among Juniors (W):

- I am happy that I was able to win the gold medal. The final fight was the hardest for me in the tournament, despite the fact that the first match of the championships I had against a strong Russian sambist. In both cases, I managed to win thanks to the right tactics and a lot of preparation, which I spent at home.

Last year I was able to win only a silver medal, now I managed to take revenge. Tashkent turned out to be a happy city for me. Now I will prepare for the next starts, maybe I will be able to perform at the World SAMBO Championships in Korea.

Sofiia BORDINSKYKH (Ukraine), a gold medal winner in the up to 52 kg weight category among Juniors (W):

- All fights were pretty tough, all challengers well prepared, but happily enough I succeeded to win. Today I am really happy. To me, this medal means a lot - there's my sweat, and tears, and toil in it. It was my dream and today it came true. Now I've got a new dream, to take part in the Olympic Games, and I do hope that SAMBO is going to be included in their program as early as in 2028.

Marie LAURENT (France), a bronze medal winner in the up to 65 kg weight category among Juniors (W):

- I am very pleased with the result, as this is my first participation in the World Youth and Junior SAMBO Championships. Earlier I used to practice judo, but for two years now I have been engaged in SAMBO and I think that this is a brilliant kind of sports. In my opinion, SAMBO is the best martial art of all, as it allows you to apply the most diverse techniques.

Bakojon ASHUROV (Uzbekistan), a gold medal winner in the up to 75 kg weight category among Juniors (W):

- I had been preparing for the World Youth and Junior Championships all the year, so when I went out on the mat, my motivation just soared. For their support, I wish to specifically thank my fellow team-mates who've come to the competition all the way from Bukhara, my hometown, and all my fans in the stands, as they've made a great contribution to my win, made me believe in myself. Certainly, special thanks are due to my coach. For all these years I was pursuing this goal, following my dream, a gold medal, and today it has come true.