Russian judo fighters pumped for Beijing
Published 29 July, 2008, 06:06
Russian judo fighters have finished their final training session in the Moscow region before heading to Siberia for final preparations before the Beijing Olympics. Russia will have seven wrestlers at the Games.
Russia's main medal hope in the 2008 European champion super heavyweight Tamerlan Tmenov, won only silver four years ago in Athens.
Another European champion, Ivan Pershin, who won the title in 2006, also has high hopes.
“We are going to fight and struggle – the plan is simple. Of course, Olympic games are a big sport festival. But for every athlete it is first of all a competition. So we'll give our best to win there,” Pershin says.
They feel they have every reason to be confident.
“Our guys have been working hard, studying carefully their toughest opponents and simulating their future Olympic bouts. They know we're expecting them to win and they know the ways to those wins,” says vice president of the Russian National Judo Association Sergey Soloveichik.
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