Ilyas Bekbulatov made his return to the mat after one year and won a gold medal in his first major tournament, the Asian Championships. The Dagestan-native missed out on major part of last year as he was ineligible to compete due to changing his sporting nationality. He now competes under the Uzbekistan flag and eyes for the Tokyo Olympics in the 65kg weight category. “Yes, it is true that I am 30 and by the time the games come I will be 31. But I still have fight left in me and will give it all at the summer games,” he told Wrestling Russia.
Preparing for the World Championships scheduled for December, Bekbulatov says he has been training in the mountains to maintain fitness and stay away from the covid-19. “We are fighters and it is our job to fight. I am preparing for the December’s World Championship, if, of course, it takes place”.
During the entire four months forced break due to the pandemic, the Uzbek wrestler had managed to maintain his weight. He said, “I have the same weight the entire season,” the European Games medallist said.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
WrestRU: How did you keep in shape all these months?
Bekbulatov: I trained in Makhachkala. I went to the mountains a couple of times. First, at the invitation of friends, I visited the Itzariysky reserve in the Dakhadaevsky district. But there I rested more, went hiking. The beauty there is indescribable! It is generally believed that the mountains in Dagestan are rocky, but you should have seen what dense, impassable forests there are. We have many such beautiful places, but, unfortunately, not everywhere they managed to be preserved in such a pristine form, as in the Italian reserve.
Then I also visited Kurush. There, with Rustam Khabilov, the natives of this village, the famous brothers-boxers Allakhverdiyevs – the world champion among professionals Khabib and the medalist of the world championship among amateurs Shafidin helped organize the gathering.
WrestRU: Kurush is located at an altitude of more than two and a half thousand meters above sea level and is considered the highest mountain settlement in Europe. You have probably never trained at this altitude before?
Bekbulatov: Yes, it was an interesting experience. The first two days it was a little uncomfortable, my head ached, and then everything returned to normal. They did a good job there, and after this gathering, I felt better than ever.
WrestRU: How is the situation with coronavirus in Kayakent now?
Bekbulatov: Now it is better, but there was a period when there were not enough places in hospitals. Many of my relatives and friends have been ill. My trainer Magomed Magomedov was not saved either, but he lay down at home, and his wife had to be hospitalized. I also got sick. I don’t even know where I got infected – whether in India at the Asian Championships or on the way from there, or when I visited relatives in the hospital. He was treated at home, made droppers, and somehow everything went without complications.
WrestRU: Did you discuss financial terms with the federation?
Bekbulatov: It didn’t come to that. For me today, the very opportunity to perform somewhere is much more important. There was a period when I did not go out on the carpet for a whole year, but then I had an injury. And now I am healthy, in excellent shape and deprived of the opportunity to fight. It is very depressing. I am 30 years old, but I am not tired of the struggle yet. Therefore, I look forward to the resumption of the competition and welcomes any opportunity to return to the carpet.