Baku. 18 December. REPORT.AZ/ "2018 was successful in my career. I claimed the European crown in the first half of the year and was declared the world champion in the second half of the year," said Greco-Roman wrestler Eldaniz Azizli, who was named the “Athlete of the Year”.
Report informs that he spoke at the awarding ceremony "Winners of the Year-2018" held by the Sport Research Center.
The 26-year-old athlete said that due to the continuous successful results achieved by the Azerbaijani Wrestling Federation, they are expected to achieve even more: "Indeed, wrestling in Azerbaijan is the flagship of the country's sport, it is the kind of sport which sees the highest number of medals won in the Olympic Games and World Championship."
Azizli expressed his regret that he was the only one who succeeded in the European and World championships: "My teammates also deserved the medals. Each of us passed the same training sessions and preparation process. It sometimes happens that someone fails to become a European or a world champion but by no way does it mean that the Azerbaijani Wrestling Federation is regressing."
The champion of Europe and the world stressed that they will participate in the world championship in order to qualify for 2019 Summer Olympics Games
Notably, the award was presented to Eldaniz Azizli by his uncle and member of the AFFA Coaching Committee Shahin Diniyev.