My name is Karim Shekhsaidov, I'm 27 years old. After an incorrect injection in childhood, at the age of 6 months, I became disabled.

I began to arm wrestle in 2014, when I moved to the capital of Dagestan. On the Internet, I found the address of the gym, made few phone calls and contacted the senior coach directly).

The reason I like the sports in general from the very childhood is probably that Dagestan is a factory of athletes for different disciplines. Everyone in our republic must be able to stand up for himself and his family). From the very childhood I trained with healthy guys, my friends did not let me feel disabled and it helps me very much today. I always had very strong hands and that's why I wanted to try my hand with the same ones as me).

With the advent of armwrestling, much has changed in my life, a lot of new friends have appeared. Thanks to my experience, all that I had to go through, I can now motivate people and promote this sport in my homeland. This is already bearing fruit - I organize tournaments among students, amateurs and among professional athletes.

My favorite pulling style is a “hook”, because in the hook only the power of my hands is revealed best.

Unfortunately, my workouts do not go the way I would like them to go, because I’m engaged in State youth activities and manage the basketball club on wheelchairs. Armwrestling, unfortunately, does not “feed” us yet, so I have to give away the larger part of my time to something else. I am trained by Hasan Alibekov, an outstanding coach who trained dozens of world champions and was twice recognized as the best coach of the world.

During my armwrestling career there were different matches. Especially hard for me was the World Cup Finals 2017 in Rumia, Poland. I fought an athlete from India, and it was difficult for me because I felt that I was physically stronger, but I lacked technique and experience. In the equal fight, I lost by fouls, but such defeats fire up sporting anger in me and motivate to prepare for the next season better.

For beginners, I would recommend not to give up training after the first setbacks, to set small goals for each year - in one year it is almost impossible to achieve great results. It is necessary to set tasks before yourself, as if you are building a ladder, which, with each passing year, will get you closer to your goal. Your name, you worked and spent years training for, will work for you then. And even if you do not become a world champion, you will know that you have spent your time with profit and can teach the new generation a lot of things. It is important to value your job - if you cheat in training, then you will be cheating in school, in work, and in life.

Sport teaches people to live right and long.

In my plans for this year - bring 20 new disabled guys into the sports, successfully implement my Paralympic project, prepare well for the World Championship and Professional World Cup and bring a medal from there.

In my ordinary life, I do a lot of things, in particular I am a Master of the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports of the Pedagogical University. I am also the chairman of the Committee on Sports of the Youth Parliament under the government of Dagestan. Finally, I am the president and the player of the Paralympic Basketball Club on wheelchairs.

I also work as an adviser to the President of the JUDO Federation (among healthy athletes). In my region, everyone knows me because my work is often covered in the media and I develop rare sports and disabled sports. I was repeatedly awarded various State rewards. In a word, I dedicate my life to sports and everything connected with it.