Tunisian taekwondo athletes, trained by Kazakh coach Esbol Sultanov, set records at the African Championship, African Games and the Paris Olympics.

Tunisian taekwondo athletes, trained by Esbol Sultanov, won 1 gold and 1 bronze medal at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris. All sports journalists on the African continent are vying to write about this unprecedented achievement in the history of the country. The qualifications of Kazakh coach Esbol Sultanov, who has been training the Tunisian national team since last year, are also well known. Esbol, who set a record not only at the Olympic Games but also at continental competitions, is already receiving offers from several countries. On this occasion, we contacted the specialist, who was heading from Paris to Tunisia, and had a short conversation.

- Congratulations on your historic success in Paris! Even though only one week has passed since the Olympics, domestic and foreign media have not stopped writing about you. In one of the videos, I noticed that Tunisian fans surrounded you, greeted you and thanked you. Can you be considered a hero of Tunisia today, like Olympic medalists, your students Firas Katoussi and Mohamed Khalil Djendoubi?

- Thank you! Winning two medals at once, including a gold one, in the main competition held every four years, is an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of Tunisia. That is why Tunisians are delighted. There is a big holiday in the country. Of course, they show me great respect and express gratitude in due manner.- In one of your interviews, you mentioned that you were selected for the position of head coach of the Tunisian national team through your resume. At the same time, could you briefly tell us about the history of your invitation to this country?

- They asked me for a resume, since I am a coach who, in my homeland, brought my students to the international level, they perform on world arenas. Besides me, qualified coaches from South Korea, Iran, Egypt and France applied for this position. In the end, the Tunisian Taekwondo Federation looked through many resumes, selected me from several candidates and offered me a contract. So last September I moved there and started working.

- We know that sports such as football, basketball and handball are popular in Tunisia. Ons Jabeur, a strong tennis player, is known throughout the country. How developed is taekwondo in this country?

- Perhaps many in our country do not know, but taekwondo is the second sport in Tunisia after football. A huge number of people are involved in this sport. However, there are few coaches to help them improve their skills and take them to the international level. Additionally, as a poor country, Tunisian athletes do not often have the opportunity to participate in international competitions. Accordingly, due to the lack of experience of coaches, the federation responsible for this sport felt the need for a coach with international level experience, and that is why they began to look for one from the outside. And since boxing is popular in our country, taekwondo is at the same level.

— In the profile header of your personal Instagram page, you put a smiley with a picture of many medals. It turns out that the Tunisian taekwondo athletes, whom you trained for a year, crushed their opponents in several competitions?

- Since I was appointed to this position, the team took part in two prestigious competitions - the African Championship and the African Games. First, we won 2 gold and several silver and bronze medals at the African Championship. Then, in March of this year, we trained 8 athletes for the African Games and returned with 6 gold and 1 silver medal. Only one of our taekwondo athletes lost. At the same African Games, the Tunisian team took 1st place in the overall team standings. This is a historic achievement. Never before have athletes from this country achieved such success. Before that, we competed in the Grand Prix in December. We won 2 gold medals there and took 2nd place in the overall team standings, despite the fact that the best athletes in the world were participating. This is also a historic result. Then, in February, we won 4 tickets out of 4 in the qualifying tournament among African countries. This has never happened in the history of Tunisia. So, including the Olympic Games, we have achieved 4 historic achievements in one year. We made a splash in all the competitions we participated in and showed results that the country did not expect.

- Tunisia won 3 medals at this Olympics, two of which were brought to the overall basket by your students.What was your goal before the Olympic Games? How many medals did the Federation ask for?

- According to the contract, I had the task of winning 1 medal at the Olympics. We prepared for this for a long time. We developed a general plan and thought out a game model. We did not count on "maybe". We prepared 4 of our athletes who received a referral. In fact, I went to Paris with the hope that if we get three medals, two of them would be gold. However, I felt that it would be very difficult to achieve this. Nevertheless, I valued the potential of my students and hoped. But I was lucky to get one gold and one bronze. My student, who won bronze, lost in the semi-final to a strong athlete from South Korea. One of our girls with a strong character, winning in the semi-final against an Iranian, lost to her at the last second. I expected more medals. However, we honorably fulfilled the goal of obtaining one medal set by the Tunisian Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports. I am grateful for this.

- Even though we are talking about your achievements now, we cannot help but say how difficult it is to make a name for yourself in a short time.

- Tunisia is a country far from us in terms of mentality and traditions. The language, the food, everything, everything is different. It was very difficult to adapt. It was not easy to communicate with people. In addition, I left my family at home and went alone. I went through a difficult period. To be clear, Kazakhstan is not a taekwondo center. That is why the fans in Tunisia looked at me with distrust when I took over as head coach. They were right in their reasoning. I am not a world-famous coach. Although my work has been noticed by specialists, I am not popular in the country. Secondly, winning over athletes from another team and making them do what you say is not an easy task. Someone else's will always be someone else's. Having raised your students in your country from a young age, you will be able to easily manage them. And here I spurred myself on, saying that “patience and hard work will grind everything down” and looked for an approach to them. First, I chose my assistants. I studied their work and replaced those who did not suit me. In the end, I assembled a strong team. Our success at the Olympic Games is not only the result of me and the medalists, it is a common victory of the entire team. Thirdly, what worries me and never leaves my thoughts is the burden of responsibility. As I said at the beginning of the story, since taekwondo is popular in the country, we were trusted that it would definitely bring a medal. “Can I justify the trust of the people, athletes and the federation?” I was very worried. There was no opportunity to relax. I worked a lot. In addition to training, I analyzed what I had gone through and thought only about work. I am very tired this year. I am immensely grateful to God. My work has paid off.

- We cannot help but ask you about your work as an assistant coach of our national team. What is the main difference between working in the national teams of the two countries?

- Here I really liked the interaction and cooperation between the competent sports bodies responsible for sports, namely the ministry, the Taekwondo Federation and the national team. They work closely with each other. Working hand in hand is the main focus of our activities, since we have common interests. It is clear that we have several examples of work that we can adopt from them.

- You probably paid attention to our athletes who competed on behalf of the country in Paris. What can you say about the performance of our national taekwondo athletes at this flagship competition?

- Both taekwondo athletes who defended the honor of Kazakhstan at the Olympics are young. I can’t say anything about their preparation. Because I was not there at the beginning. However, watching them compete and perform on the mat, it seemed to me that they were young and lacked international experience. Olympic and world champions gathered in Paris. I think their experience does not match the level of their opponents. However, there is nothing to worry about. Both are young athletes. In the future, if they work on their mistakes and analyze them, they will be able to show excellent results in many high-profile competitions.

Overall, I was very happy for our athletes who won gold, silver and bronze medals at this Olympics. The coaches really brought the best in their sport. And there is no need to level the work of the losers. I will repeat that only the chosen ones come to the Olympics.Many athletes meet the strongest in the first round. So don't judge them. No one spares themselves. No one goes to a competition they've dreamed about since childhood with the goal of losing. Not everyone can live far from their family, train for several hours a day, live in conditions of strict discipline and a strict regime. So we must take into account not only the defeat of each athlete, but also the path he has taken. It is necessary to analyze the results recorded at the Olympics, develop the right program and move forward.

- At first, after Mohammed Khalil Jendoubi won the bronze medal, the domestic media started writing about you. And after Firas' gold, you conquered the entire information space. Did you expect such a reaction?

- Not many people in Kazakhstan know that I went to work in Tunisia. I thought there was no point in publishing it before leaving. However, after Mohammed won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games, the journalists watching me in the arena started writing about it and publishing it in the news. When Firas won gold, many journalists contacted him. Of course, I did not expect such a reaction. I completely avoid the idea of ​​putting myself on display, comparing myself with others and being proud of myself. You know, I don't really like being in front of a camera, being in the spotlight of the whole country. All this can't help but hurt. However, even if I am not happy that journalists in the country write about my successes in another country, I certainly do not take offense. Secondly, we Kazakhs are a kind and brotherly generous people. If one of them manages to achieve this, everyone is happy to the seventh heaven. Sports commentators generously share such news. All this warms the soul. When I read numerous comments on social networks, I was glad to see that everyone was my well-wishers and supporters. He still writes "Let it be fruitful." In turn, I would like to express special gratitude to sports fans in the country.

- What do you say to those who say: "Return to the country and prepare Olympic champions from our athletes from our athletes"?

- Yes, I have seen such comments.Of course, there is no greater happiness than if we raise our blue flag, raise the name of the country and sincerely serve the country! However, I have not yet decided on my plan. Because, as I said above, the work I have done in one year was not easy. Now I have a vacation for 1 month. Several countries have already sent offers. The Tunisian Federation also wants to extend the contract. It was proposed to increase the salary and make the working conditions even better than before. In the remaining days of the vacation, I will think about which offer I like.

- Would you agree if the Taekwondo Federation of Kazakhstan contacted you and said that they would offer better conditions than in Tunisia and invited you to work? Or are you planning to work abroad?

- Of course, if the Federation of Kazakhstan puts forward their offer and contacts me, I do not mind meeting and talking face to face. Professionally discuss the situation, see the full plan and project, and if everything matches my style of work, why not start? As I said above, there is no greater honor than to serve the Motherland! My relatives, friends and journalists are happy about my success in Tunisia. And if I try to raise the country's flag to the top of Olympus, the whole country will be happy. Thus, we are grateful to the country. And to receive the gratitude of the country is a great honor and great pride for a person.

- Thank you for your story! Good luck!

 

interview

Aliya Tleuzhankyzy

turkystan.kz

translated by Qazalem