French sambist Louis Laurent became the silver medalist of the 2020 World Championships in the up to 90 kg weight category in Combat SAMBO.
In the course of the tournament, he lost only one fight – in the final against the Russian Sultan Aliyev. In an interview with the FIAS website Louis spoke about why the Russians are difficult rivals, about his preparation for the tournament and work as a rescuer during a pandemic.
Louis, the final fight turned out to be difficult and protracted. The impression is that the Russian athlete has lured you into a trap…
– Indeed, I really fell into a trap. He literally put me to sleep, hypnotized…
The previous fight – with the Kyrgyz sambist for reaching the final – was also not easy. It seemed to me that in that fight you made a bet on the fight?
– Yes that’s right. I understood that in wrestling I was superior to my opponent, so I tried to close the distance and make throws, and it bore fruit. I chose the same tactics for myself for the final fight.
But why then did the final fight take place in a standing position?
– The Russian was able to “put me to sleep”, he imposed his own rhythm and, like a spider, lured me into his nets. I tried several times to make the transition to the ground, but he would not let me. I accepted his rules of the game, and it became my mistake.
Read the whole interview HERE.
