Andrey SIZYAKIN from Wuxi
I RECEIVED A CARD FROM A JUDGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR CAREER
We always remember previous competitions - at the last World Championships we also started with bronze, and it was Kamil Ibragimov’s bronze,” said Mamedov. - Yes, he fought better than last year, but the Korean Kim Junghwan slowed down the pace and, as an experienced saber blade master, outplayed him in the end. All of us who sat and watched this on the podium understood that Kamil also had to slow down the pace.
- It turns out that the Korean coach suggested everything correctly, but ours didn’t?
I don't know if the Korean coach did it. Kamil is young and promising; he will be 25 years old in August. Good age. We are waiting for him to win. So far it pleases us, but not completely. Dmitry Danilenko fenced well. There, the Egyptian referee was a little confused, and I even earned a yellow card from him for shouting from the stands, for the first time in my career. In the end, he watched the replay, but did not admit his mistake, it was a shame. We are not asking you to help us, but you don’t need to take away the blows from us.
- What are your medal plans for this tournament?
Last year we took three golds in the individual tournament, when 60 percent of the strongest athletes were absent for objective reasons. It was a success. But now the team has won six gold medals at Europe. I will not say that we are preparing for this or that result. I don’t hide it - I never know and never knew how the competition would end. All these years the Lord God and our attitude to business have helped us. I can only say one thing - we will fight to the last.
SAFIN WANTS REVENGE
- Let me ask you differently: is this team stronger than the one that took three golds at the last World Championships?
She's definitely stronger.
- Tell us about the state of the team.
Alexey Cheremisinov, who has all the titles - world champion, European champion, Olympic champion in the team, has added to the men's foil category. This year he looks good, he won Europe. Psychologically, this is the athlete who can win any competition if he thinks correctly. There was a moment when we wondered whether he should continue. I even suggested that he end his career as an athlete and start working as a coach. He said: "I'll try again." And after that everything changed - he had the best season of his career. And this is not even in terms of results, but in terms of fencing. He returned to his personal trainer Dmitry Shevchenko from the Italians - not through discussion, not through demagoguery. It was a requirement, and he had no other choice. Shevchenko was able to make him the most reliable athlete in team competitions at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in four months - whoever was there saw it.
Timur Safin is eager for revenge for last year in Leipzig - he received four cards then: yellow and three red. And he wants to prove that he is a world-class athlete. Dmitry Zherebchenko, let me remind you, is the current world champion. Yes, he didn’t show himself this season, but maybe this is the case when a person shows his best at the World Championships.
WE DIDN'T EXPECT THAT THE GREAT WOULD WORK LIKE THIS THIS YEAR
- Yana Yegoryan wears tape. Is she injured?
This is an injury from Rio 2016 (smiles). The trauma of victory. She's still there, at the top of the pedestal. He can't get down.
- Sophia the Great has returned. Will this spur Yana?
Of course it will spur you on. And it’s already spurring me on. She doesn't want to be second. Although Sonya has many more titles than Yana. Just look at her - she got into the top 16 of the world rankings in three competitions. From 999th place! And it continues to work. Although we assumed that she would return next season, slowly. Where there! And it plows!
- Do you know any other examples like this?
Rapier players are like that. Cherimisinov, Deriglazova, Safin.
- How do you feel about the fact that Yegorian walks around the hall wearing a T-shirt with the image of Vladimir Putin?
I do not share hyper-patriotism, but if this is a meaningful action on her part, and she thereby says “you give us sanctions, and we give you our president,” then I have nothing against it. If this is a step from the heart, and not a way to show off, then go ahead.
FINAL CALENDAR
July 23. 13:30.
Women - foil. Men - sword.
July 24. 13:30. Women - saber. Men - foil.
July 25. 11:00. Teams. Women - sword. Men - saber.
July 26. 11:00. Teams. Women - foil. Men - sword.
July 27. 11:00. Teams. Women - saber. Men - foil.
Two-time Olympic champion in the team (,), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1989), Honored Coach of the Russian Federation (2015), 1989 World Champion in the team. Silver medalist at the 1995 World Championship. Four-time winner of the European Cup in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2000. Multiple winner and champion of the USSR and Russia. Winner of the USSR (1987) and Russian (1994, 1998) Cups.
Encyclopedic YouTube
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✪ Ilgar Mamedov - head coach of Sat. Russian fencing is visiting Top Sport. 06.06.2018
✪ Ilgar Mamedov about the team’s performance at the World Cup
✪ Yegoryan and Safin shaved their head coach of the Russian fencing team, Ilgar Mamedov
Subtitles
Life and sports career
He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Institute of Physical Culture in 1987 and the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2008.
He played for CSKA (Moscow). Reserve Colonel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Honored Trainer of Russia. Participant in 4 Olympics (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000). Olympic champion in 1988 and 1996 in the team championship in foil fencing. World champion 1989. Winner of the European Cup 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000. Repeated champion of Russia and the USSR.
From December 2008 to December 2016 he worked on the Judicial Commission of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
Since October 2012, he has been the head coach of the Russian fencing team.
For the first time in eleven years, at the 2013 World Championships in Budapest, the Russian team won 3 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze, winning the team event, as well as the Nations Cup. At the 2014 World Championships in Kazan (3-1-4), 2015 in Moscow (4-4-1), the Russian national team won 1st overall team place and the Nations Cup.
Personal student Artur Akhmatkhuzin won silver in individual competitions at the 2013 World Championships, and won bronze in the individual competition and silver in the team competition at the 2015 World Championships.
In 2016, the Russian national team under the leadership of Mamedov I.Ya. took first place in the team competition at the following official competitions: 1. European Championship among juniors and cadets, Novi Sad (Serbia), February 2016 2. World Championship among juniors and cadets, Bourges (France), April 2016 3. World Team Championship, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), April 2016 4. European Championship among athletes under 24 years old, Plovdiv (Bulgaria), May 2016 5. European Championship, Torun (Poland), June 2016. Following the results of the Olympic Games, the Russian national team took first place as a team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), winning 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze . At the games in Rio 2016, students of Mamedov I.Ya. Safin Timur won the bronze medal in the individual competition and won the gold medal in the team competition. Akhmatkhuzin Arthur won a gold medal in the team competition.
Family
Ilgar Mamedov's wife Elena Zhemayeva is also a fencer - two-time world and European champion, World Cup winner, and represented Azerbaijan at the 2004 Olympics. In 1997, Ilgar and Elena had a daughter, Milena. In 2005, Ayla was born.
Awards and titles:
Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Order of the Chairman of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports under the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated March 29, 1989;
Honored Coach of Russia, Order of the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation dated October 28, 2015 #146 NG;
Gratitude from the President of the Russian Federation dated 01/06/1997 #4-рп - “For high sporting achievements at the XXVI Summer Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta (USA);
Certificate of Honor from the President of the Russian Federation dated January 23, 2014 #14-rp - “For services to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the XXVII World Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan;
On the eve of the World Fencing Championship, which will be held in Moscow from July 13 to 19, VseWorld News correspondents spoke exclusively with the head coach of the Russian national fencing team, Ilgar Mamedov.
Ilgar Mamedov told us that there are few bright, brilliant personalities in fencing now. These are the kind of people our team really needs.
Ilgar Mamedov is certainly a very bright figure.
Ilgar Mamedov is a two-time Olympic champion in team foil competitions.
There are no three-time Olympic laureates in the men's team foil. Women have one - Italian Valentina Vezzali = Valentina Vezzali. She won gold in the team in 1996, 2000, 2012.
For men, since 1904, when they began to compete for awards in team foil, only seven have managed to do a double!
Christian D'Oriola = Christian D "Oriola, France in 1952 and 1956
Viktor Zhdanovich, USSR in 1960 and 1964
Mark Midler, USSR in 1960 and 1964
German Sveshnikov, USSR in 1960 and 1964
Yuri Sisikin, USSR in 1960 and 1964
Ilgar Mamedov, USSR and Russia – 1988 and 1992
Andrea Cassara = Andrea_Cassarà, Italy – 2004 and 2012
Undoubtedly, Ilgar Mamedov has the right to say that there are few brilliant fencers in Russian fencing today.
In an exclusive conversation with World News correspondents, Ilgar Mamedov told a lot of interesting things. He emphasized that it is possible to win all the “gold” in the world in a row at three inter-Olympic championships, but failure at the Olympics will ruin everything!
If the Olympics were held tomorrow, the Russian team would compete in full force. How to save all these entry tickets to Rio.
And many more, many interesting things.
Portrait from World News
Ilgar Mamedov.
Born on November 15, 1965 in Baku. Height – 183 cm, weight – 83 kg.
Two-time Olympic champion in team foil competitions in 1988 in Seoul (for the USSR) and 1996 in Atlanta (for Russia).
World champion in team competitions on foil - 1989 in Denver, USA.
Vice-world champion in team competitions on foil - 1995 in The Hague, Netherlands.
Participant in four Summer Olympic Games: 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000. Winner of the European Cup: 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000. Repeated champion of Russia and the USSR.
Member of the Judicial Commission of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
Since October 2012, he has been the head coach of the Russian fencing team.
Ilgar Mamedov's father, Yashar Mamedov, is the vice-president of the Azerbaijan Fencing Federation.
Ilgar Mamedov’s wife, Elena Zhemayeva, is a fencer and saber fencer who represented Azerbaijan at the 2004 Olympics.
In 1997, Ilgar and Elena had a daughter, Milena, and in 2005, Ayla.
A documentary film “Winner” was shot about Eldar Mamedov.
Authors: Evgeny Bogatyrev, Rauf Mamedov. Director - Rauf Mamedov. Cameramen: Alexey Filippov, Andrey Lebedev. Film company "Salname". Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan.
Issue - 2014 - 46 min.
You can learn more about the film
He spoke about the upcoming World Championships in Germany and noted the growing popularity of fencing in Russia after the 2016 Olympics.
How does the Russian team plan to prepare for the World Championships in Leipzig?
The World Championships will take place in mid-July, before which the European Championships will take place in Tbilisi in June, but we don’t even consider them as any important competitions.
The fact is that the World Championships take place a month after the European Championships. If we take the last four years, we practically did not prepare for the European Championships, because it would be impossible to stay in shape for a month afterwards. Over the previous four years, in every season we won the world championships, and at the European championships, as a rule, we took prizes. I think that this practice should be continued now.
Correct display is important
What needs to be done to make fencing a more popular sport and what needs to be done to ensure that it is followed beyond the Olympic Games?
After our performance in Rio, many children came to fencing. The halls simply could not cope with the flow of children. In sections, schools, colleges where there are fencing clubs, we had to deal with screening and selection. Previously, coaches tried to recruit a group, but now they are selecting. After all, it is impossible for 100 people to train at the same time! The Olympics were a big boost for fencing in Russia.
Mikhailov: Russian fencing needs to maintain the level it reached in Rio >>>
Just our phenomenal result?
No, also the correct showing of fencing on television. Those people who do not understand fencing at all called, congratulated, and wrote messages. It was shown so well.
Do you mean not the number of broadcasts, but specifically the camera technique of the show?
Yes! After all, what is fencing? In saber everything happens instantly, for example. In the sword there are still “lanterns” hanging, it’s clear what and how, but in the rapier and saber... you won’t immediately understand who repelled the attack, who counterattacked. It’s all complicated, but emotions were conveyed, and emotions are conveyed only by competent display.
It’s still more pleasant to watch when our team wins.
Ekaterina Dyachenko, Yana Yegoryan, Yulia Gavrilova and Sophia the Great (from left to right) - Of course, it would be desirable for our victories to be shown. But you watch the World Cup anyway, no matter what teams are playing! If the Russian team is not performing, we watch the matches of the other teams. If fencing is broadcast well, then you can watch the fights of the same athletes from Asia: Koreans, Chinese, Japanese. You can watch Italians, French, Germans, Hungarians. So, depending on how fencing is broadcast, its popularity will increase.
How big is the role of Alisher Burkhanovich Usmanov in the life of the Russian national team and the federation? How much does he care about fencing?
Aida Shanaeva (right) and Inna Deriglazova - The person is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Russian Fencing Federation. All the opportunities that our federation has are thanks to the direction that Alisher Burkhanovich took when he was still president of the FFR. The president was replaced by Alexander Yuryevich Mikhailov, the right hand of Alisher Burkhanovich. The direction that was set continued. In addition to the sporting components, there are also social issues. There are a lot of them.
Usmanov outlined the steps necessary for popularization in the fencing development program >>>
For example, housing?
Apartments for athletes, cars, medical issues. Arthur Akhmatkhuzin had the most serious operations... the list could take a long time. For example, in September 2012, the chairman of the board of trustees decided to buy apartments for young athletes. Yana Yegoryan, Timur Safin, Tatyana Gudkova, Violetta Kolobova. Those who were older were given impressive bonuses. They invested in people, and four years later one of them became an Olympic champion. The law of business worked: invested a ruble, received two. Our trustee for social issues got involved, took the initiative himself, and this is the result.
How often do you communicate with Usmanov? There is a problem, should I call?
No, we try not to burden you with problems. It's so busy there, a government-level person. We have a president of the federation, and all important issues that need to be resolved in sports are resolved with the president of the federation. It’s more correct that there is subordination. If the trustee himself calls with some questions, of course, I will answer. You understand that something extraordinary may arise, but we try to prevent this from happening. And thank God there is no such thing.
Alisher Usmanov - Is vertical working?
Yes, and I'm pleased with it. The new regulations on bonuses were released at the end of 2016. Now our juniors and cadets have performed well at the European and World Championships and have already received awards under the new regulations. This is, of course, great. In addition to the fact that coaches work and receive salaries, they also have an incentive to achieve good results. There is a bonus fund, and it is very serious. During this four-year period it has increased even more.
And yet, what level of training is D'Artagnan's fencing?
- (laughs) In sports, such fencing is unrealistic. There are so many jumps, lunges, movements - this does not happen. As for dueling fencing, all this is also unrealistic. One wrong swing and that's it.
Of course, you just need to train them so they don’t get into too much trouble. In sports, you get a counterattack, but the chest protects you. It’s like you’re getting an injection, but there’s no pain. In real life, when a blade is stuck in the chest, nothing good will happen. At the age of 17, they pierced my leg right through and hit me in the thigh. I learned to walk again, two millimeters from the main artery, three millimeters from the nerve ganglion. That is, if it were in the artery, the blood would flow out, if it were in the node, I would be paralyzed. And the ambulance arrived only half an hour later. Just lucky. It's good that there is now reliable protection.
Fencing
Today the World Fencing Championship starts in Leipzig, at which 12 sets of medals will be competed, four in each of the three types of weapons - foil, epee and saber. The Russian team came to it as one of the favorites. However, the head coach of the united Russian national team, two-time Olympic champion in foil fencing Ilgar Mamedov, traditionally refused medal forecasts, explained in an interview with a Kommersant correspondent Valeria Mironova, why it will not be easy for the squad, renewed by 60% after the Games in Rio de Janeiro, to maintain its high reputation.
What was the mood with which the team arrived at the first World Championships after the most successful Olympic quadrennial for the Russians, the highest achievement of which were seven Rio medals?
The situation has changed dramatically. The 2015 World Championships in Moscow were qualifying for the Games, so all the strongest competed in it. Today our composition is 60% experimental. The Russian national team has never undergone such a large-scale renovation before. It wasn’t us who wanted to experiment, it was just that a dozen and a half leaders left the team immediately after the Olympics. Some wanted to become a mother, some because of injuries, and some forever. Olympic champion saber fencers Sofya Velikaya, Ekaterina Dyachenko, Yulia Gavrilova, Olympic medalists fencing fencers Lyubov Shutova, Olga Kochneva, Olympic champion and multiple world champion foil fencer Aida Shanaeva did not come to Leipzig. Another titled foil fencer Larisa Korobeinikova returned in March, but is not yet able to help the team. The men are missing world champion epee fencer Anton Avdeev, Olympic champion foil fencer Artur Akhmatkhuzin, and multiple world champion saber fencer Nikolai Kovalev. A week ago, world champion epee fencer Yana Zvereva was injured and out of action. It is not clear whether two-time Olympic champion saber fencer Yana Yegoryan will be able to fencing in two tournaments - individual and team. A broken toe at the beginning of summer will not heal.
- Which of them will return and which will not?
Velikaya and Kochneva, I think, will return. Avdeev and Akhmatkhuzin were tormented by injuries and operations, their return is in question. And we are unlikely to see Gavrilova and Dyachenko, who recently gave birth, on the track. It’s a pity that our teams don’t have long benches by type of weapon.
- It turns out that no matter how young people perform here, they will remain in the crowd?
If the Great One returns, then the youth will lose one place. Saber fencers, one might say, have no bench at all. And whether our three promising juniors will reach the level of the main team is an open question. There are good guys born in 1997–2000 growing up in foil, and there are also some good juniors. Although not 15–20 people, as in Italy. In Russia, four regions develop foil fencing, three - saber fencing and six - epee fencing. These are Ufa, Moscow and the region, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and several other cities. Each of them supplies one or two athletes to the team. In the absence of mass participation, Russia takes advantage of talents: they noticed, invited and began to test them. Since last season, our juniors have been training with adults, and this will be the case at least until 2020.
- Has the coaching staff of the national team changed after Rio?
In March, epee specialist Angelo Mazzoni left for Italy, and the contract of the Italians, led by Stefano Cerioni, who worked with foil fighters, expired. After the 2012 Games, we invited them for four years, and when with their help we achieved what we wanted, we shook hands and went our separate ways. Of the foreign specialists, only the Frenchman Christian Bauer, a saber coach, remained.
- And yet, what is the task set for the team?
Fight, fight and fight. I repeat, circumstances forced us to send so many inexperienced athletes to the championship, so we are forced to call this team experimental. But we are used to winning, including the team competition. I don’t want to lower the bar and come down from the pedestal, so the guys will try to maintain their image.
- And who are they, today's Russian performers?
The foil players are led by Olympic champion Inna Deriglazova. Also on the team are Adelina Zagidullina and three debutants - Marta Martyanova, Svetlana Tripapina and Anastasia Ivanova (reserve). The foil fencers from the Olympic gold squad are Timur Safin and Alexey Cheremisinov, who will fencing only in the individual tournament. Dmitry Rigin and debutants Timur Arslanov and Dmitry Zherebchenko will also perform. Judging by how he spent this season, we don’t expect much benefit from the 2014 world champion Cheremisinov.
- Why do many of our Olympic champions, and not only fencers, sometimes rest for years after the Games?
Firstly, the age factor. For example, Cheremisinov is already 32 years old, and he does not want to work due to the lack of youthful energy reserves. Secondly, all titles - from European champion to Olympic champion - have been won. To multiply them, you should strain through “I don’t want.” I suggested that Alexei take a season off and then come to the gym with new thoughts and a desire to fight, but he said that he wanted to fence. What if he wins?
- Are there any young people with star potential?
A whole galaxy of foil players born in 1997–2000, but their time has not come yet. Not so good with the women's rapier. However, there are few rapier players all over the world. Only seven women's teams competed at the European Championships.
- What is the most popular type of fencing weapon?
Sword. And not only in Europe, but also in America, Asia, and Africa. Hence the intense competition.
Apparently, this is why the results of male epee fencers are much weaker than those of foil and saber fencers. Although the Russian team performed excellently at the European Championships in June.
If there is tactical correctness in the rapier and saber, then in the epee, whoever fences sharpest at the moment wins. So, in 1996, Pavel Kolobkov went to the Atlanta Olympics as the favorite, but Alexander Beketov unexpectedly took the gold. And in 2012, in London, the middle peasant Ruben Limardo became the champion. The man thought that everything was fine with him, he went and won.
- What is the Russian epee team like today?
For men, this year's European champions in the team are experienced Pavel Sukhov and Sergei Khodos, as well as debutants Nikita Glazkov and Anton Glebko. Vadim Anokhin will perform only in the individual tournament. Only Violetta Kolobova remained from the women's team of Olympic medalists. Tatyana Gudkova fencing already in 2014 at the World Championships in Kazan. They will be accompanied by debutantes Daria Martynyuk and Tatyana Andryushina, who took the place of the injured Zvereva. Experienced Tatyana Logunova is entered only for individual competitions.
- It remains to talk about saber fencers...
Nikolai Kovalev graduated, Alexey Yakimenko practically did the same, but, let’s say, at the request of the workers, he returned in March and fencing superbly in the team at Europe. He fought like a sportsman and led others like a leader. Together with Yakimenko here are Kamil Ibragimov, Veniamin Reshetnikov and debutants Dmitry Danilenko with Vladislav Pozdnyakov - the son of Vyacheslav Pozdnyakov, bronze medalist of the team foil tournament of the 2004 Games in Athens, and now the senior coach of the junior team. I will put Reshetnikov on the team only if he performs well in the individual tournament. If he doesn’t show intelligible fencing, Pozdnyakov will compete in the team.
- And saber fencer Sofya Pozdnyakova is the daughter of the famous saber fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov?
Yes. She will perform in Leipzig. By the way, our women's saber team is the youngest. And the oldest in it is 23-year-old Yana Yegoryan. Anna Bashta and Valeria Bolshakova are 22 years old, Sonya Pozdnyakova is 20 years old. If Yana is unable to fencing in the individual tournament, she will be replaced by 21-year-old Anastasia Bazhenova.
- Which of the iconic opponents left the track?
For example, the French Olympic and world champion epee fencer Gautier Grumier. Italian Olympic champion and multiple world champion foil fencer Elisa di Francesca is about to give birth. But the Ukrainian Olga Kharlan, winner of the 2008 Games and multiple world champion in saber fencing, returned after shoulder surgery and immediately won the World Cup in May... But no matter which French or Italian stopped fencing, his place is not remains vacant. Agree, of the 120 thousand involved in fencing in Italy, it is not difficult to find a replacement. So the Italians and French are traditionally strong in all types of weapons. In France, only epee fencers have a long bench. Also, after Rio, all the young American foil fighters capable of creating a lot of problems for their opponents remained. And the famous American saber fencer, 32-year-old Mariel Zagunis, having missed a number of tournaments after Rio, I think, will show up at the championship. Here it will become clear which teams have strengthened and which, on the contrary, have weakened.
