Reflections of the Prize-Winners of the 3rd Day of the World Youth and Juniors SAMBO Championships in Tbilisi

Zviadi TEVDORASHVILI (Geogia), a gold medal winner in the up to 74 kg weight category among juniors.

- I'm very happy with the gold medal, I wish to express my gratitude to all the spectators who supported me, especially to the boys trained by my coach, who came out in T-shirts with my name on them, and with all their hearts rooted for me. This is not only my victory, but the victory of my coach and my entire team which is like a family to me.

Earlier I'd won the gold in Romania, but I can say that winning on foreign land and winning at home evokes different emotions. It was especially important for me to win on my home grounds, since I felt that the whole country, the younger generation was looking at me, and I simply could not disappoint them. Today we've all experienced the joy of victory.

Zaharia-Catalin POSTICA (Romania), a bronze medal winner in the up to 70 kg weight category among youth.

- On my way to the finals I was stopped by an opponent from Kazakhstan, he proved to be stronger. But I still perceive the third place at the World Youth Championships as a success, since this is not only my first medal, but also my first participation in the tournament.

Jule-Marie HORN (Germany), a silver medal winner in the up to 64 kg weight category among juniors.

- I'm really in a great mood today! It seems to me that my silver for Germany at the World Youth Championships is the first in history. I had been engaged in judo for 10 years, and a year ago my friend who practiced SAMBO introduced me to this sport and suggested trying it too. It appealed to me - and now I take part in international competitions. A few weeks ago I'd been at the international tournament in Kazan where I won the bronze. It was an adult competition, though. In both cases, I lost to very strong opponents from Russia and Belarus, but the main thing now is to draw the right conclusions from these situations in order to win in the future.

Eyvaz BAKHSHIEV (Azerbaijan), a gold medal winner in the up to 57 kg weight category among juniors.

- To me, this year happens to be a lucky one: first, the silver at the European Championships, and now the gold at the World Championships.

Apart from the intensive training, I was able to read my opponents on the mat, I was able to second-guess what they would do, what moves they would try to perform. I want to pay tribute to both the Georgian athlete and the athlete from Mongolia whom I was matched against in the finals: the guys were pretty strong and well trained.

Alla BEHEBA (Ukraine), a gold medal winner in the up to 48 kg weight category among girls.

- All the coaches and teammates rooted for me in the stands, and at home, my parents and all the relatives watched the TV broadcast. I felt this support, and it helped me win. My gold had become the first for our team at the World Youth SAMBO Championships in Tbilisi. I am glad that I've managed to lend to my team's success, and I am happy that I've become the world champion among girls.

Ion BOTNARU (Moldova), a bronze medal winner in the up to 87 kg weight category among youth.

- Today, I've managed to defeat an Armenian athlete on the mat, but I stumbled in the semifinals and lost to an opponent from Georgia. I do not despair, though, as I've gained tremendous experience and now I understand what I need to focus on in the future, in order to win.

Ilina STOYANOVA (Bulgaria), a silver medal winner in the up to 80 kg weight category among juniors.

- I have already become a European champion three times, and once a world champion among youth. The fact that now I've ranked the second upsets me very much, as this year I've performed at the World Youth SAMBO Championships for the last time, with my transfer to adult SAMBO waiting ahead. True, this year I'd already performed at the adult European SAMBO Championships in Greece, and in a month I will take part in the World Championships in Romania. I do not want to make any premature plans, but I dream of winning a medal.