Dmitry Troshkin: “We gave a chance to the young guys who rightfully got a ticket to this World Cup”

- Dmitry Viktorovich, how would you sum up the results of our performance at this 50th anniversary World Cup?

At this world championship, we had the task, as usual, to win in all kinds of sambo – sports, combat, adaptive. To predict how many medals we will win is the most ungrateful thing. Because sport is sport, all sorts of collisions happen, as with Stepan Soldatenkov. It seems that our guy was already going to the gold medal. But trauma. Unfortunately, this is only second place. Thank goodness it happened in the end, not before. And so the result was set – the first team place, how many medals we will achieve, it is a matter of technology. That’s why we have four teams – men, women sports sambo, even five teams – combat sambo, women and men and our visually impaired sambo players. Out of five teams, we have 25 awards, 18 of them gold.

That is, such a catch here, and I think the catch is quite decent, because if you excuse me, yes, this is the 50th World Cup, an anniversary, there were 101 countries, and our colleagues from the near abroad, from the CIS countries, the former Soviet Union, they are traditionally strong, but many countries, especially African ones, such as Cameroon, have seriously pulled up. They generally show a beautiful struggle, the French, the Italians. Rivals are traditionally gaining momentum, as it were, Bulgarian friends and Mongols, they have been strong since the Soviet era, and the Soviet school, so to speak, continues to be their main training.

- Still, let's compare Bishkek-2025, where the last championship was held and now Tashkent. A year ago, there were 31 types of programs, and we have 21 gold, there are 33 and only 18 awards of the highest standard. Did it get worse or did the competition increase?

In some moments, in some scales, yes, I confess, we failed. Why? Because the team we have just, judging by the men, it is very rejuvenated. We only had two people from last year’s team who participated in the World Cup. Only one world champion - Anton Konovalov, and the other third prize-winner was - Soldatenkov, the rest - all recruits. So, excuse me, when you have all the world champions or European champions in the ranks, it’s one story, you already have experience. And when the guy is only the first time goes to the international start and immediately to the world championship, and here such bison fight that it is a different story, other emotions.

Here, Konovalov has already become a four-time world champion, but before the final meeting there, the young guy fought in it. I just see him getting excited, like he's on the carpet for the first time. I can also remember when our legend Murat Hasanov (11-time world champion – Ed.) fought in the last World, when we went out with him on the carpet, he is poor, too, his excitement was overcome. That is, it would seem that the higher the number of world championships, the calmer, but in fact, the effect generally goes in the other direction.

I want to say that we have Alexander Suchkov – he also came to the first world championship, and he fought in one breath. All experts noted that he had such a bright and easy fight - without a hitch, without a hitch, as his surname - Suchkov, only here the opposite.

- I also looked at the composition of the men's national team before this tournament, and it is clear that we brought an updated team to Tashkent, but was it worth it or perhaps it was better to go against the sporting principle and add veterans, experienced sambists?

- We could, of course, do anything. And to bring to Uzbekistan those who fought in Europe and in the world, but then we will begin to change our rules. Once we break our principle, the undercover games will begin. I think it is better to lose in the moment, but the principle to keep, because next year these young guys will grow stronger and will be completely different. We give a chance to people who rightfully got a ticket to the championship. What if we take that chance? Well, I don't know, maybe next year, but someone won't show up. Then the wife will remember us with an unkind word, we will say this.

- Can you say that the men's team generational change has begun? And how long can it last?

- Absolutely. Judge for yourself: we only had two participants in the World Cup last year, and it is clear that the change of generations. This is for my sports and coaching career the second stage of such a transition. It lasts maybe in the region of six, seven, eight years. Then at this transitional stage, the team settles down. It is clear that a year or two, there someone leaves, comes back, but nevertheless, this period of six or seven years, after which the backbone is already powerful, shelled. Now here's a new update, but it's a natural evolutionary process.

- Who would you single out in this championship in the men's team, and who, in your opinion, performed below their abilities?

I already said that Alexander Suchkov performed brilliantly. He came to the World Cup for the first time, a rookie, let’s call him that, and immediately so brilliantly selected brightly, without excitement, very confidently. I will probably mention Anton Konovalov for the fourth time. There he had excitement, but he had a brilliant final, lightning pain. Very sorry Stepan Soldatenkov, also brightly held the preliminary card. We were all hoping it would be a nice final but unfortunately his emotions were overflowing, too much wanted to win. The tactics for the final were different, but something like these adrenaline splashed out into some strange element that he rushed under this 180-pound tank and broke his arm.

Aslanbekl Kodzaev won in the very first fight of his main competitor - Ukrainian Rudnev, six-time world champion. Yeah, and he didn't just win, he beat him beautifully. Strangled him, made a stifling reception. All dots on the "i" placed, and it was the most beautiful victory of ours, but Misha Mokhnatkin, our super-heavy, such a final point set beautiful. Those guys are good.

What do you think of the women who couldn’t win at just one weight?

- The girls almost did great. One silver medal, the rest is all gold. In combat, all women are good. They dominate this kind of sambo. Already three-time champions were Vera Lotkova and Sophia Istomina, the rest - two-time. Also, Karina Cherevan became a three-time winner of world championships only in sports sambo. In general, our girls are not only beautiful, but all one to one champion.