Kurash coaches are at the center of our attention!
Elyas Ali Akbari, head coach of the Iranian national kurash team. The best athlete in the world 2018
As a 35-year-old coach, I am probably one of the few people who have coached the main national team of my country at this age.
Esfrain, in the North Khorasan region, was where I spent my early years. North Khorasan is one of the centers of kurash sports in Iran. Because a lot of Asian and world champions come from this region every year.
If I am not mistaken, in the early 2000s, the sport of kurash was introduced to Khurasan by Kourosh Khosrouyar, an experienced kurash expert and technical director of KCAO.
One of the kurash heroes of North Khorasan was my uncle, Husein Ali Akbari. He won the Asian championship five times.
As a child, my interest in kurash and admiration for my uncle led me to join the Kurash club. After that, kurash became my destiny.
The experience of my teachers played an important role in me becoming a champion and I went through such a long and difficult path to become a champion. I would like to thank these noble people for all their efforts.
Sport is such a thing that it is difficult to achieve results with only desire and effort. It also takes hard work and patience and luck, of course.
First, in the 2006 World Championship held in the Dominican Republic, I took 3rd place in the weight category of 66 kg. Then I lost in the semi-finals to Lukash Joset from Hungary. Lukash also defeated the famous Uzbek athlete in the final. He was the world champion. It was a great experience for me taught to work on my mistakes.
After that, I participated in many competitions. I won the continental and world championships and in the Asian Games.
Among them, I received gold medals at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Incheon, the 2016 Asian Beach Games held in Danang, Vietnam, the 2015 Lebanon, and the 2018 Asian Championships held in India. One of the biggest achievements in my life was gaining the gold medal at the 18th Asian Summer Games in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018.
It was a great result for me and my country. I was greeted as a hero.
I received the Athlete of the Year award from the International Kurash Association that year.
In 2022, the Asian Games in Hangzhou have been postponed by one year. This made me unable to participate as an athlete in the Asian Olympics. After that, I put an end to my athletic career.
However, the Iranian Kurash Association has expressed confidence that I will be the head coach of the national team of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This news also pleased me. I am doing my best to make my athletes become national heroes this time.
I started my sports career once again at the national team campus of my country, Iran.
I am teaching to my athletes all my experience from world championships. I believe that they will definitely win the biggest sports competitions in the world.
Currently, the Iranian national team is preparing for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
In April, the Iranian national team started a 9-stage training camp. Then it participated in the Asian Championship held in China. Our results are definitely positive. The training session continued in the women’s and men’s categories. At this point, I would like to express my gratitude to the officials of the Iranian National Olympic Committee, the Iranian Ministry of Sports, and the Iranian Kurash Association, who are providing us with a great opportunity.
I am satisfied with the preparation of our team. I believe that they will achieve high results in China and Turkmenistan.
I wish that our beautiful and ancient kurash will spread in all the cities of the world and take a place in the future Olympic Games Program. I want to add that nothing will stop me to achieve my goals as a coach, when my mother passed away earlier this year, Mr.Nassiri called me and told me to take a few weeks off , but I buried here and came back to the training camp and I am sure that if my team gets good results she will be proud of me once again, May Allah Bring Peace to those who have lost their beloved ones.
