Sadulaev

Transcript: Interview with Sadulaev

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 - 13:14 By United World Wrestling Press

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Q: Is it your goal to win three Olympic titles like Satiev and Karelin?

Talking about 3-time Olympic champions Saitiev and Karelin, it's great that we have such examples to follow.

For now, it's useless to consider winning my third Olympic title because World Championships are different from the Olympic titles. Anybody can win and anybody can lose. My main goal for now is my second Olympic title and then I will concentrate on the third one.

Q: How have stayed on top for so long?

Motivation helps me achieve everything. My rivals are training hard as well. They don't stand idly by. The younger generation is coming. Sport just takes a short period of our life. I have to win every possible tournament, before the younger wrestlers start stepping on my toes. Otherwise it will be too late.

Q: What do you think about a potential matchup with J’Den Cox?

I think, J'den Cox has a specific wrestling style.  However, Snyder will not be easy to beat, he is a current Olympic Champion. And he's a lot bigger than Cox. As it is said, we will see what happens on the mat. I'm interested in seeing them wrestling against each other.

I don't really know how the match between me and Cox will go, because we've never wrestled. At the Olympics we ended up in different brackets, I changed my weight category, but he stayed at the same one. We have never met on the mat.

Q: Why are there so many great wrestlers from Dagestan?

In Dagestan, wrestling is in our blood, It's basically our National Sport here in Dagestan it's the number one sport. Almost every boy takes part in freestyle wrestling. So, there's a lot of competition between them. That's why so many Dagestani wrestlers represent different countries, because they can't qualify for the Russian national team.

High competition benefits good wrestlers.

Q: How does it feel to be the first wrestler with one million followers on Instagram?

Even though I have one million Instagram followers, it wasn't my main goal. If I was truly interested in it, I would have got there much faster. I'm not very active on social media. Of course, I am pleased that people are interested and that they follow me.

Q: How do we continue to grow the sport of wrestling?

The growth of the sport and wrestling is very important. Recently, wrestling was overtaken in popularity by MMA. But still, wrestling remains as an Olympic discipline. That's why I think, wrestling should be spread all around the world. In general, in MMA almost all the fighter have some sort of wrestling background -- around 70% of the top UFC fighters are former wrestlers. That's why wrestling is so powerful

Q: How do you want people to remember you when you retire from wrestling?

 

The most important thing is to leave a good legacy so that no one would dare to tell my children or grandchildren -- that their father wasn't loyal or a bad person. Once again, it's important to leave a good legacy.

#WrestleBaku, #WrestleParis

Livach stuns Stadnik; Adar, Kurachkina confirm Paris 2024 spots at European qualifier

Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 21:32 By Vinay Siwach

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BAKU, Azerbaijan (April 6) -- Five seconds separated Mariya STADNIK (AZE) and history.

Leading 2-0 against Oksana LIVACH (UKR), Stadnik could have become the first woman wrestler to qualify for five Olympic Games. However, Livach pinned her with five seconds remaining to stun the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Livach did create history, becoming the first wrestler to beat Stadnik in a European event in a career that goes back 20 years. More importantly, Livach earned a Paris Olympic quota for Ukraine at 50kg.

This was the first time that Livach won against Stadnik with her latest loss at the European Championships semifinal in Bucharest in February.

"I just want to wrestle," Livach said. "I don't care about the opponent. This is the first time I have beaten her and it's amazing. She is a legend. It's a long journey to beat her. I worked hard to win here."

Livach trailed 2-0 with 11 seconds remaining in the bout when the referee called for a restart and Livach immediately hit a double-leg attack, putting Stadnik's back on the mat and held her, securing the fall.

"[In the last moments], I tried to keep her [Stadnik's] lead to a low number," she said. "At the last minute, I worked more and needed to attack. It was a tactic."

Ukraine now has two quotas for Paris Olympics as Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) won one in 62kg at the World Championships. The last chance World Qualifier in Istanbul from May 9 to 12 will present another opportunity for the wrestlers to win a quota.

"The Olympic qualification for Ukraine is very important," she said. "It is for my country, for people who support me. It's an unimaginable feeling."

Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) won the other Paris 2024 spot at 50kg as she defeated Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), via fall after building a 12-2 lead. She led 2-0 at the break but shifted gears in the second period. She countered Blayvas' attempt to hit a toss and scored four points. She used a cradle to hit another four and secure the fall.

Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN)Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) defeated Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) to win at 57kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Silver medalist in Tokyo at the 57kg weight class, Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) pulled off a last-minute takedown to beat Alina HRUSHYNA (UKR) and earn a quota.

Kurachkina led Hrushyna 2-2 as she had a takedown against Hrushyna's sequence of one and one points. Hrushyna scored a pushout with 33 seconds left on the clock, forcing Kurachkina to attack more.

With just 10 seconds left, Kurachkina hit a double-leg and lifted Hrushyna to slam her the mat, earning four points and a 6-3 win.

The second spot at 57kg was earned by Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) who pinned Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR) in the second period to confirm her spot. Paruszewski was leading 1-0 at the break for Kamaloglu's passivity. The Turkish wrestler began the second period with a takedown and took a 2-1 lead. Paruszewski never slowed down and used the underhook to keep Kamaloglu guessing.

She would ultimately use an underhook throw to put Kamaloglu's back on the mat and get the pin along with the Paris 2024 quota. Tokyo Olympian champion and Germany's first women's wrestling champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) would later rush to congratulate her.

Yasemin ADAR (TUR)Yasemin ADAR (TUR) won the Paris 2024 spot for Turkiye at 76kg. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

European champion Yasemin ADAR (TUR) convincingly defeated former European medalists to qualify Turkiye for the Paris Games at 76kg. She opened the day with a 12-2 win over Epp MAR (EST) and finished it with a 6-2 controlled win over Martina KUNEZ (AUT).

Kuenz was returning to the mat since the Ranking Series in Bishkek in June 2023 and began well, taking a 1-0 lead but Adar countered Kuenz's half-hearted attacks and scored points, ultimately winning 6-2.

Hungary managed to secure the other spot at 76kg as Bernadett NAGY (HUN) won 2-0 against Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA). This marks the fourth straight Olympic in which Hungary qualified in Women's Wrestling. Mariana SASTIN (HUN) was the first woman to qualify for wrestling in London 2012.

At 53kg, Tokyo Olympian Andreea ANA (ROU) moved back to 53kg to qualify Romania and did that by beating Annika WENDLE (GER), 5-4, in the Paris qualification bout.

The bout was not as close as the scoreline suggests but Ana did slow down in the final minute. After taking a 5-0 lead, Ana gave up two stepouts, one point for fleeing and one point for a singlet pull.

"I think after leading 5-0, I became complacent," Ana said. "I will take a break for now and then prepare for the Paris Olympics."

Tokyo Olympian Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) suffered a heartbreaking loss to Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN) at the 53kg after Malysheva pulled Prevolaraki from the back and pinned her to the mat, securing the fall and the Paris 2024 ticket.

Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL)Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) earned a spot at 62kg for Bulgaria. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Former world champion Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) picked up a Paris 2024 ticket for Bulgaria at 62kg after she beat Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-0. Dudova had failed to finish on the podium at the European Championships. However, she did not let that win affect her and easily won the quota.

Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) earned the second quota at 62kg as she defeated Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA), 6-1.

Poland will have a representative at 68kg after 72kg regular Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) managed to score exposure in the dying moments of the bout to beat Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 3-2.

Hanzlickova led 2-1 after she locked both of Choluj's arms and turned her for two points. She was on the verge of pinning Choluj but the Poland wrestler managed to sneak out of that position.

Choluj got on a single-leg and scored exposure to take 3-2 lead that she defended in the last 14 seconds to earn a spot for Paris.

Tokyo Olympian Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) was in no trouble beating Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 12-0, at 68kg to earn the second spot for the Paris Games.

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RESULTS

50kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Oksana LIVACH (UKR) df. Mariya STADNIK (AZE), via fall (4-2)
SF 2: Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (AIN) df.  Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), via fall (12-2)

53kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Annika WENDLE (GER), 5-4
SF 2: Natalia MALYSHEVA (AIN) df. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE), via fall (8-0)

57kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Sandra PARUSZEWSKI (GER) df. Elvira KAMALOGLU (TUR), via fall
SF 2: Iryna KURACHKINA (AIN) df. Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR), 6-3

62kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Bilyana DUDOVA (BUL) df. Ameline DOUARRE (FRA), 3-0
SF 2: Alina KASABIEVA (AIN) df. Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA), 6-1

68kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Wiktoria CHOLUJ (POL) df. Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE), 3-2
SF 2: Khanum VELIEVA (AIN) df. Manola SKOBELSKA (UKR), 12-0

76kg Paris Olympic Qualification Bouts
SF 1: Bernadett NAGY (HUN) df. Pauline LECARPENTIER (FRA), 2-0
SF 2: Yasemin ADAR (TUR) df. Martina KUENZ (AUT), 6-2