What a 12 months is has been for Crew Azerbaijan, accumulating European, World and Olympic titles, not solely as senior athletes however throughout the board from cadets and juniors as properly. Closing out the 12 months for the youthful Azerbaijani athletes was the U23 European Championships, the place a few of their profitable cadet and junior rivals have been on the lookout for extra glory.
Overseeing the staff in Pila, Poland, was Efficiency Director, Richard TRAUTMANN. Already the work begins in a brand new cycle, however what does a efficiency director search for and the way have the outcomes of the Olympic Video games impacted his staff and the broader judo neighborhood in Azerbaijan?
Within the nation I’m working for, we’re well-known for early bloomers, for early success and that is good and unhealthy. The great aspect, properly it’s at all times good to have outcomes, however typically you pay a value for it. We can’t get sufficient of them to the highest stage of seniors. Whenever you’re bodily stronger than the others, mature earlier, you may have some simple wins, possibly even the judo just isn’t so properly developed and because the success is actually essential within the nation, necessary for the golf equipment financially, the main focus for the membership coach doesn’t transcend this quick success, it doesn’t matter for them in the event that they turn out to be an excellent senior, they don’t profit.
What we wish to develop is coach schooling, proper now they’re merely going off their very own experiences, handed on from their very own coaches, from a completely totally different time. We now have lots to enhance on however now on this new interval now we have clear targets for the cadets, what they should do, must know, the abilities they need to have already. Within the U23 Europeans, it provides us an opportunity to ship athletes who aren’t the quantity or quantity two, for instance the -60kg gold medallist [Huseyn Allahyarov], now we have seen him working so so exhausting, however he has by no means seen a cadet or junior championships, he has nearly no outcomes, however with this we can provide him the chance, he was hungry. Additionally in -73kg, Rufat Shovlatov, he didn’t win gold, however this medal means he can be funded for an additional 12 months. With out the outcome, he in all probability would have joined the work drive. We wish to display that we recognise them, and we’ll reward them if they’re doing as we ask. It’s not solely concerning the outcome.
I believe if we despatched our prime gamers in each class we might win lots, we’re lacking athletes from France, Russia, we might be in an incredible place, however for what? We don’t acquire something, a few of them have already fought within the Olympic Video games!
Judo is a preventing sport and there may be at all times a danger of damage, however for Trautmann, it felt prefer it was an excessive amount of, too typically,
I felt that we have been having too many accidents, you understand I come from Germany, earlier than you do something, we pay for the insurance coverage, however in judo typically it’s essential take a danger, then then again, Azerbaijan is the alternative, it’s an all-in type. Like I mentioned, there may be loads of monetary incentive so the coaches and athletes are at all times pushing, they wish to combat and ignore their accidents.
Now now we have a giant assist from the federation to vary this, in the long run, solely wholesome athletes win medals. So I took all people out after the Olympics, not simply the primary staff, however quantity two, coaching companions as properly, they have been all checked for accidents, in the event that they wanted surgical procedures, rehabilitation, and in the long run, it was nearly 20. They may have pushed to combat within the U23s however I don’t need a outcome right here, I need a end in Los Angeles in 2028.
It’s my job to persuade these athletes that they gained’t be forgotten, that the explanation we’re conserving them out to get better is as a result of they’re treasured. Because it was totally different up to now I can’t blame them for feeling as in the event that they’d get replaced, from their expertise, they’re proper.
Earlier than the Olympics, it’s one thing I actually underestimated, the strain is unbelievable. Our president defined to me that if we had success in Paris that we might have potentialities we may solely dream of. I believed okay, typical politics, however in truth it was true.
We actually had nice concepts from the president, massive potentialities, and now we will actually stage up. We are able to carry in additional specialists, we’re opening a boarding faculty for 500 judoka and it is a enormous venture, with three targets. I like this as a result of it’s actually primarily based in judo targets, the primary is to not win Olympic medals, it’s to make use of judo as a chance for folks from the countryside who would usually go to work aged 14 or 15, to go earn a level and be capable to research anyplace on the earth. This programme can be within the areas as a result of 90% of our judoka are from Baku, however expertise is all over the place. There’ll a expertise identification programme all around the nation and at aged 12/13 they may come to the boarding faculty.
There can be three goals, one is excessive efficiency, producing potential Olympic medals; second is to have properly educated judoka, they usually may turn out to be properly educated coaches, and the third, most necessary I believe, you need individuals who have a detailed connection to judo as a result of the game provides them the possibility of their life. They might go research economics, legislation, politics, however they keep inside judo. Perhaps their success will assist assist the federation, possibly somebody is a journalist and helps us, or a politician. That is the imaginative and prescient of our president and I assist this.
Creator: Thea Cowen
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