The 36th armwrestling World Championships were full of talented fighters and exciting fights. There was a real war in almost every category. There was an unexpected upset in the 75 kg weight class, where a Russian fighter, Vadim Akperov, won silver in right arm.
I think my performance was good – says Vadim. – I would give myself four out of five. All I thought about was one opponent – Janis Amolins. I watched his every fight. I won, because I was ready for that fight, but he turned out to be an unpredictable person.
I also watched Sasho Andreev carefully. He won two golds in juniors, and then two in seniors!
I fought Sasho in the ECs - says Vadim. – I beat him easily then, so I never imagined he would show so much at the WCs. Since not a lot of time has passed since the ECs, I wasn’t wholly prepared. Besides, I had a wedding and a month off training. I came to Vilnius after some three workouts. But that doesn’t justify my loss. The Bulgarian was way stronger than me in hooks. There’s only one conclusion – mistakes will not be forgiven. One must always be prepared. My loss gave me new motivation to become a better sportsman.
We could watch many great fights at these championships. Unfortunately, there were also bad moments. This cannot be forgotten or forgiven, it should be remembered and should never happen again.
I liked the beginnings of the championships – says Vadim. A great hall, lots of space, good music. But when the medal fiasco happened, I was really sad. I hope this will never happen again, and that armwrestling will grow strong and healthy. As for me, I’m planning to end my season by getting the title of Master of Sports. And that’s all, folks (laughs).
Artur Grigorian