World Championship in Bulgaria ended. It was held in a new format – instead of the four days, there were six days of fighting. It was much more difficult in terms of organizing, but easier and more convenient for the athletes.
The Championship gave answers to the questions, which have recently been increasingly discussed in the community of armwrestling fans. For example, we now have an idea about Oleg Zhokh’s position in a new category with new serious contenders. Whoever was on the other side of the table, Oleg remains out of reach for the category. Even if his opponent is Sasho Andreev or Artem Taynov, it does not change the situation.
Particularly was destroyed the myth of infinite power Sasho Andreev. Yes, he coped with all of the right hand rivals, but the fight with Spartak Zoloev was very hard, and Spartak showed that it is possible to fight and win with Sasho. Will the armfight between Sasho and Khadzhimurat Zoloyev be so urgent? Time will show.
We remember about a great number of intrigues. But there is another, which is almost lost - Egle Vaitkute defeat in the final match on the left hand. We used to the fact that girls in the category of 80+ usually compete for the second place, because gold always took Egle. However, here, on the left hand he had a real problem with the athlete from Kazakhstan - Antonina Lissyanskoy, to whom she lost in the final two times.
We all can watch the change and development of world armwrestling. Such a conclusion can be drawn from the results of recent international tournaments. A few years agothe undisputed leader of the world armwrestling was the Russian team. However, the teams of Georgia and Kazakhstan gradually come on the heels of the Russians and take prize-winning places. Georgian national team not accidentally won the European championship in the team score for men senior category. At this Worlds Georgians took the top award in this category again, although there were fewer medals than Europe. Yes, at the moment Russia is still the strongest team, its leaders confirm their level, but the decline is noticeable not only to fans, but also to well-known coaches, what was said in the walls of the hall, where the World Championship was held. For Georgia, Kazakhstan is also added Bulgaria and Turkey, in these countries significant progress is noticeable. These changes are beneficial for the sport; we hope it brings armwrestling to a higher level.
World Championship was very rich and interesting, but it can already be considered history. Although we shouldn’t relax, because very soon the most high-profile events in the world of professional armwrestling – Zloty Tour World Cup-2016 will be held. This year, Zloty Tur is a grand event with a very strong structure and good prospects. Because now the victory in the tournament opens up new opportunities, which previously could be just a dream for athletes.