Recently Akperov showed his fans and the whole armwrestling world some magnificent fights in the Russian Championships. He took the podium twice – he came 3^rd in left hand and won gold in right. He also fought in OPEN category, where he bested some heavyweights in right hand.

Vadim, what’s your opinion on the organization of this year’s Russian Championships?

It was good, as usual. Decorations, music, referees, everything was in its place. No incidents, no quarrels, at least none that I would notice. It was a very friendly event.

Are you satisfied with your fights?

Very much so. I’m especially happy with the 3^rd place in left hand, I didn’t expect that, my left hand is much weaker than the right. My right hand did its job, it wasn’t easy, but also not very hard.

Who was the most dangerous man in your category?

Everyone was strong, no exceptions. Every fight I fought like it was my last, all out. That strategy proved to be right, I suffered no injuries, I got a huge kick out of my fights. Now I’m going to prepare for the European and World Championships.

Khadzimurat Zoloev didn’t do too well. He’s in for the TOP 16, where he’ll fight big and serious guys. Will he be able to face them, when he couldn’t even take 1^st place in his own category?

Khadzi did bad, I don’t know why. Maybe he wasn’t fully prepared. We’re all only human, you cannot be in permanent great shape all the time. I’m sure Khadzi will put up a fight in the TOP 16, it’s a serious tournament. We’ll see how he does in the tournament, but I’m sure he won't be on the margins at the top of the TOP 16, despite his weight.

The climax of the championships was the Tsyplenkov – Pushkar armfight. Was it an interesting fight or a predictable one?

It was interesting only in the first bout, then things took a familiar turn. I thought Pushkar was going to show something to Denis, but it was not to be. Denis proved to everyone once again that he is the strongest. He’s one of my favorites for the TOP 16.

Artur Grigorian