The 19th Asian Summer Games will start in exactly 10 days. Although participating in the Asian Olympics is a great achievement, winning gold medals and taking the lead in the overall standings is the dream of every athlete and national team.
It is clear that this dream will not come true by itself. Years of hard work, patience, and determination are the keys to success.
Another factor of victory depends on the efforts of the coach. Effective strategies and tactics, strictness, and rigorous discipline for the athletes have always brought positive results.
The press service of IKA presents a series of interviews dedicated to the preparation of national federations providing support to athletes, and the training camp before the 19th Asian Games and the 14th World Championship.
Therefore, kurash coaches will be the subject of our attention.
“Kurash is a heritage passed from my father to me!”
Elbrus Soatov, head coach of the national kurash team of Thailand
I was born in a family of kurash athletes in the Qamashi district of Kashkadarya region (Uzbekistan).
I should say that kurash has become a major part of my life. My grandfather Soat was a great athlete in his time. Kurash competitions were held at the field with a crowd of spectators, and he won the prize by catching a goat while riding a horse. My father, Makhmarayim Bobo, was also a great athlete. God bless both of them.
All of my brothers are kurash athletes. They won many national and international competitions.
How is it possible for a boy to grow up in such a family and not be an athlete?
When I was 9 years old, I started attending a kurash school, and when I was 12 years old, I was accepted into the 6th grade of a sports school specializing in kurash. I have been with Kurash for almost 30 years.
I took part in a kurash competition for the first time when I was 13 years old. I had the good fortune to win 4 opponents that day. If my memory serves me right, I won one goat as a prize. Even more than this award, the joy of winning, the applause of the people, gives a person an indescribable feeling. After that, I was lucky enough to experience such achievements and feelings. I have won camels, oxen, and even car prizes.
In the past, I graduated from school with excellent grades thanks to kurash. As the champion of Uzbekistan, I was admitted to Karshi State University with preferential treatment. It would be accurate to say that because of achieving success in kurash, I attended the Tashkent State University of Economics.
I have won the championship of Uzbekistan among youth, students, adults, and military men in Kurash many times. The name of the Kurash athlete is always with me.
Since 2021, I have been working as the head coach of the national kurash team of the Kingdom of Thailand.
In Thailand, the interest in kurash is very high. I believe that the support of the government and the activity of the Thailand Kurash Association are also important in this regard.
The President of the Thailand Kurash Association, Mr. Pulsak, is an excellent organizer and one of the most experienced sports managers.
Through his efforts, federations were established in all regions of the country. Kurash sections are operating in all sports clubs. Thousands of young people are engaged in kurash. National kurash championships and tournaments are held every month in every city of Thailand among young people, teenagers, children, and students.
We are certainly proud of our achievements at the international level.
In March 2022, we took home 3 bronze medals from the Asian Senior Kurash Championship held in DUSHANBE. My athletes won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 5 bronze medals at the SEA Games held in Vietnam in May of this year.
In November 2022, I was awarded 1 silver medal in the absolute weight category at the Senior World Championships held in Pune, India. Obviously, this is a huge result. One of the biggest achievements of Thailand in the World Cup. I am proud to have contributed to this. We are all focused these days. The Asian Summer Games in Hangzhou, China, and the World Championship in Ashgabat have been prepared at a high level.
Since the beginning of the year, we have selected the team and accepted young but strong athletes into the national team. The preparation was carried out in 3 stages. At first, training was conducted at the first base, and then training sessions were organized in the sports complex in the mountainous region.
Our national team is in a very good mood now. It also has a lot of enthusiasm and self-confidence. I believe that with this team we will certainly achieve high results.
While 5 athletes will participate in the Asian Games, our team has a wide range. The remaining athletes will try their luck at the World Championships and next year’s Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand.
