The Russian Wrestling Federation has appointed Simeon Shterev as the new head coach for its women’s team. The Bulgarian international will replace Magomed Aliomarov who passed away in May due to covid-19. After the appointment, he said, “I am grateful for the trust shown to me by the leaders of the Russian Wrestling Federation. It is a great honour for me to lead such a team. The Bulgarian and Russian peoples are close in spirit and we already have a good team. One person cannot do anything; coaches and athletes need to be a team. We are already a team and will continue the work that we established under Magomed Aliomarov. We have one common goal – to win the maximum number of medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. I have worked with many teams, but I get pleasure from work only when there is a result. I give my word that I will work not even at 100, but at 200%, so that our team will perform with dignity in all competitions in which it will participate”.
Omar Murtuzaliev, vice president of RWF said,”The untimely departure of Magomed Aliomarov was shocking to the team. But the Russian women’s team was able to prove that it is still a force in the international arena by standing united”.
“Other countries once again began to be afraid of competing agasint the Russians. After the death of the head coach, the President of the Federation and I received many offers from those wishing to lead the team, including from very eminent people. But we opted for Simeon Shterev, an experienced coach from Bulgaria, who worked with teams not only from his own country, but also from Greece, Azerbaijan, and even China. Last year he was the right hand of Magomed Aliomarov, worked with our athletes, studied the team well, and I am sure she will be able to continue the work of Magomed Aliomarovich,” he added.
Talking about the Tokyo Olympics, he said, “It’s less than a year before the Olympics and we don’t have time to swing. Now, the main task is to earn the missing quotas in Tokyo and to introduce a new person to the team at such a moment is an extremely risky business. Simeon Shterev will carry out the general management of the team: first of all, this is work on the carpet, the formation of lineups for the main stars, as well as drawing up plans for work and performances at competitions”.
Who is Simeon Shterev?
Simeon Shterev is a Bulgarian former wrestler who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics where he won bronze. He has also coached multiple Olympic and World Cup medallist Stanka Zlateva.