The World SAMBO Championships will take place in the Korean city of Cheongju on November 8-10. Sambists from 80 countries are coming to Korea in order to compete for the title of the strongest one. The FIAS website reports on who had the most tiresome flight, who found themselves in the future, and what goals the athletes from different countries set for the coming tournament.
Among the first who approached it were the sambists from Morocco who had had a rather wearisome flight to Korea.
“The flight was very long – from Casablanca to Seoul with a stopover in Paris. Given the transfer to Cheongju, our journey took almost a day. I perform on the first day of the competitions, but, fortunately, I have enough time to regain my strength. The World Championships are the main tournament on the FIAS calendar, so I worked hard for it. I wish I could win a medal. God willing, I’d succeed,” said Moroccan El Hussein Shakiri in his interview to the FIAS website.
The fact that the flight was not an easy one is silently confirmed by his teammate Badreddin Diani who dropped off to sleep right on the sofa in the hotel lobby, despite the fuss and noise all around.
The French sambists got luckier with their journey, as they had a direct flight from Paris. However, they experienced not much less fatigue than other athletes.
“We arrived this morning, we just came to the hotel, so we hadn’t had enough time to enjoy the sights of Korea as yet. The flight was long and rather tiring, it’s a large distance, after all. Now we wish to have some rest, to regain our strength,” reported the French sambist Anthony Segard.
Although the athlete could scarcely think of anything but to get some sleep and rest, he still comments on his goals at the World Championships.
“For me, this year was rich in medals – I was ranked third at the international tournament in Kazan, third at the European Cup in the Czech Republic, and third again at the Grand Prix of Paris. So I do hope for a medal in Korea, as well – this is my minimum task, and my ultimate goal is the gold. True, there are some very serious challengers in the up to 100 kg weight category that I compete in,” admits Segard.
Source: sambo.sport
