The 18-year-old being seen as Bulgaria’s golden prospect for the Tokyo 2020 Games, is not ready for the big Olympic stage, confesses Edmond “Eddie” Nazaryan’s father Armen Nazaryan.
Edmond “Eddie” Nazaryan took the world by storm after winning his maiden European title in the non-Olympic 55-kg Greco-Roman category in Rome just three weeks after his 18th birthday.
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On his way to the gold, Nazaryan recorded an impressive comeback win over World No. 1 and 2018 World Champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan in the semi-finals before a dominant display to win the final against European champion Vitalii Kabaloev of Russia.
A back-flip and a tight hug to his father and coach Armen Nazaryan’s clearly showed the importance of the win.
The baby-faced Bulgarian now has his sights set on the Olympic gold and dreams of emulating his father’s two-time gold medal (1996 and 2000) gold medal performance.
But following Armen’s footsteps is not a piece of cake. Edmond if competes in the European qualifiers is expected to compete in the 57kg Olympic category.
Armen believes that changing the weight category will not be easy for Edmond. “He’s still so young and he’s still not strong enough. Also, the 60kg will be a new territory for him,” Armen, three-time world and six-time European Champion told Reuters
“But the good thing is that he’s a real fighter. He’s brave and he always thinks offensively at the mat,” he added.
The good thing is Edmond knows the legacy he is expected to carry and is confident to fill in his father’s big shoes.
“I know who my father is and I know it’s a huge responsibility but I’m not afraid. The Olympic title definitely is my biggest goal. I’m ready to go through all the hardships and challenges to feel the sweetness of the Olympic gold,” Edmond said.
Edmond likes playing chess and says that it helps me take speedy decisions with logic. The game is a great way to develop the brain.
If Edmond participates in the European qualifiers, he will have to get past the likes of Russia’s Emelin Sergey and Uzbekistan’s Elmurat Tasmuradov.
For now, the youngster will be training hard and hope that the European qualifiers do not get postponed due to Coronavirus.
