I don't just want to participate in the Olympics, I also want to get a medal. This was stated in an interview for BGNES by Edmond Nazaryan, who was one of the awardees for the best athletes in 2023 with a plaque and a prize at a special ceremony in the training hall at Arena Sofia. The young Bulgarian wrestler was recognized for his achievements over the past year.
Nazaryan conquered the European peak for the second time in his career, triumphing in the Olympic category up to 60 kg in Zagreb. Then, however, the 22-year-old son of Armen Nazaryan suffered an injury at a rating tournament in Hungary, and subsequently dropped out of the World Championships in Belgrade, where he had the opportunity to get a quota for the Games in Paris this summer. At the end of last year, Nazarian won the 20th edition of the classic wrestling tournament in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
At the beginning of 2024, Edmond already became the state champion in Stara Zagora, having also won bronze from the competition in Zagreb. On being one of the awardees at the Arena Sofia ceremony, he said: "It means a lot to me because the recognition I received is a motivation for me to move forward, not only for me but for everyone athletes. Support is a very important thing for an athlete, without it, things cannot happen. So I want to thank again the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Bulgarian Sports Totalizer for the award and for standing by us and supporting us".
Nazaryan admitted that the failure of the World Championships in Belgrade still torments him, but he is motivated in the 2024 Olympic year to get a quota for Paris. "In 2023, I missed the chance to get a quota at the World Championship, for which I am in pain, but this year I think to get up and mobilize - I have tournaments, to participate there, to get a quota and already an Olympic medal. That's my goal - to be healthy first, and according to the plan, according to the schedule, as the coaches say it, and we'll just move forward," said the wrestler and continued regarding what lies ahead for him:
"Now there is a European Championship that does not give a quota, it is just a prestigious tournament. In April, we have the European qualifying games, which will be held in Baku - there are small problems in connection with the fact that I am Armenian by nationality, and there is a war there. This issue should be resolved with guards, I don't know how it will happen - there is time to think. We have to fight there and get a quota - if by chance things don't work out, in a month there is Istanbul, there is already the last chance for a quota. We will try our best to put in and get a quota".
Mentioning the potential difficulties caused by his being Armenian and the qualification being in war-torn Azerbaijan, Edmond shared: “There could be a problem. I am ready for this because this war is very disturbing and this politics enters into the sport, which is dangerous to life. I want to go, but there is another question here - from parents, from the responsibility, the fact that the people around me do not want to, there is one concern, fear because we are talking about an enemy country. But if we do everything right - and this issue is resolved politically, and there is security, if everything is correct, I think I will be able to go. It's a matter of how the people there, who deal with it, will solve it."
Edmond wants to become the European champion in the 63kg category at the upcoming European Championships in Belgrade on February 12-19, but his big goal is an Olympic medal. "Yes, I want to, but the biggest goal for an athlete who wants to realize himself to the maximum is the prestigious Olympic Games. So I think I not only want to participate, but I also want to get a medal, even if it's not gold," he concluded. /BGNES
