At the 2019 Freestyle Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Zaurbek Sidakov defended his champion title. In a conversation with the Olympic Reserve, he opened up how he was cheating on the coach, why he did not like vacations, shared his opinion about his star second, and who he looked up to.
Emotions after the gold of the World Cup 2019
In the last seconds of the final I looked at the scoreboard, and the score was 5: 2, and then I already realized that I was the winner. I took another step towards the main goal, and this is the Olympic Games. It is important that I did not let the team down and made a worthy performance. When the flag of your country is raised, you are standing on the highest step of the pedestal, making five thousand people rise and listen to the Russian anthem - this is indescribable.
The capital of the 2019 World Cup - Nur Sultan
Russian athletes were supported greatly there. They are know wrestling. Children went crazy, did not let me go after the final. It was a pleasure to wrestle there. Nur-Sulitan has become a successful city for me.
The audience
First of all, a person listens to himself. But the coach, of course, also must be listened to, outside mat wrestling looks completely different. And I don’t especially hear the audience. When you are preparing for a match, the fans do not always understand that the athlete should not be approached. But in my youth I myself approached outstanding champions, I wanted to take pictures with them, touch them.
World Cup Medal
At the 2018 World Cup, I really wanted to win and fought to the last second, it cost me a lot of nerves along the way, so the first medal is more valuable to me. Only when I came to the hotel room did I realize everything and asked myself - am I really the world champion ?! And this year I was going to the championship to defend the title.
Olympic champion, 6-time world champion Arsen Fadzaev
It is very valuable when you are seconded by such a person. He is an outstanding athlete. I am always happy to see him, he gives strong support. I am very grateful to him for that. And the opponent is scared when he sees him (laughs).
Zaurbek Sidakov - 23 years old, was born and lives in Beslan. World champion 2018-2019 in freestyle wrestling in the weight class up to 74 kg, champion of the European Games in 2019. Height - 175 cm, weight - 70-74 kg.
Olympic Games
This is the main competition for me. When I came to the first training and stepped on the mat, I was told that Olympic medal was top priority. I’ve been striving to win Olympic Games since childhood. in my opinion, after winning such a competition it is easier to wrestle and to live. Wrestling is life for me. I wake up in the morning - wrestling is in my head, I go to bed - wrestling is in my head. I constantly see Olympic rings in front of my eyes.
Sports choice
One day I was playing with my friend outdoors, after some time he was taken to a training. I was left alone. I was standing, looking at them, suddenly his parents called me: “Come with us!”. I got into the car and thought: “What is freestyle wrestling?”. In the training hall I met my first coach. Two weeks later, a terrorist attack knocked over the town of Beslan, and wrestling had to be abandoned for two years. Parents were afraid to let me out of home alone. One day my coach met us in Beslan and asked why I was not training. So I was back to wrestling.
Cheating on a coach
When we were about nine years old, we deceived our coach - we used to say that we had to go home early from the training, otherwise we would miss the bus. Once when we had competitions, I lost in the first match, and my friend won the third place. I was sitting on the mat and thinking: “Why didn’t I get into the number of medalists?”. And all o a sudden they announced my name and I was awarded with the diploma “For the Will to Victory”. I felt very ashamed, and I began to train a lot. The coach asked: "Aren't you in a hurry to catch your bus anymore?” And since then I was always going home on the last bus. Six months later, I won this tournament.
Idols
I have no idols. I take examples from many athletes. Some are very disciplined, some use some kind of action on the mat I like. Besik Kudukhov (a 4-time world freestyle wrestling champion died in a car accident on December 29, 2013, approx. Ed.) - he displayed incredible character! Arthur Taymazov, Denis Tsargush. You should not have idols, but examples need to be taken. And not only from elder people. I can see a young and not very famous athlete, and I can learn something from him. This can be applied not only to wrestling, but also to human qualities.
Signs
I always step on the mat with my right foot. Of course, not the right foot brings us luck, but the work that has been done. We always rely on God, without faith a man is empty.
Study
I graduated from State Mining University. Now I have Bachelor's Degree. I have recently entered the Faculty of Law. I have not yet thought about a coaching career.
Vacation
I do not go on vacation usually. For the first time I went on holiday this year. We went to Turkey. And even there I did exercises in the morning, I can’t have rest without trainings.
Wishes for the athletes of Moscow Olympic College №1
To succeed, you need hard work, discipline, desire, you need to obey your parents and achieve your goals.
