FLASH
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Sahit Prizreni played a very important role in winning Albania's first Olympic medals.
The president of the Albanian Wrestling Federation had a key role in bringing Russian athletes to the red and black national team. In a statement for "Panorama Sport", Prizren recounts the emotions of the red and black success in "Paris 2024". While thanking Chermen Valiev and Islam Dudaev, Prizren says that these medals have the taste of gold medals because of the way they were won.
Prizren, for the first time Albania wins Olympic medals. Historic achievements coming from wrestling champions like Chermen Valiev and Islam Dudaev. How do you comment on this success?
The word historical itself has all the comments inside, but I sincerely want to congratulate the boys for their sacrifice, their dedication during all this time, for the great faith and hope they had to give Albania that missing medal. I congratulate them immeasurably and I want to thank all my team, coaches, members of the federation and all the people who have believed in what I have chosen. Today we all succeeded together.
In all the communications we have had, we have seen you convinced that wrestling would give Albania Olympic medals. Where did this assurance come from?
The fact that I have been involved in this sport every day for 25 years, the fact that I myself have been to three Olympics, but what I have seen in the boys, in the qualities, but above all in the passion and determination to bring medals to Albania. The boys were looking to make history for Albania, for themselves, for their homeland, and all this has given me tremendous hope, that today, thanks to God, we succeeded.
We also saw you very excited, maybe even more than when you raced on the mat yourself, you couldn't even control the tears...
Absolutely, there are great emotions, starting with Zelimkhan Abakarov, who made me experience an emotion with the world champion title. Islam Dudaev, also with the European champion title, but also Chermen Valiev, when he reached the qualifying standard in the time limits for the Olympics. While today with two medals, which even though they are bronze, for us they have the taste and aroma of gold medals.
Meanwhile, Valiev kept calm even though it was not easy after the injustice done to him in the quarterfinals...
Absolutely. I say with conviction that Chermeni would raise the national flag on the highest step of the podium and make the Albanian anthem be sung in the middle of Paris. But an injustice was done to us, an injustice that the whole wrestling world talked about. Injustices, mistakes happen and this happened to us, but thank God the boys kept calm and continued to believe. After this defeat, the boys were fantastic for the way they reacted and how they kept their composure, turning the pain into strength, to then score historic results.
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