“My long-term goal is to reach the peak of my career.”

This was stated by Azerbaijan’s Greco-Roman wrestler Hasrat Jafarov in an interview with Offsideplus.az.

He spoke about being named the Best Male Athlete of 2025 by the Ministry of Youth and Sports:

“To be honest, after the ministry announced the athletes’ ranking list, this result was somewhat expected. Over the year, I won silver medals at the World Championship and the Islamic Solidarity Games, and also became European champion, and I was ranked first. Nevertheless, being named ‘Athlete of the Year’ is a great honor and a high appreciation of my hard work. Of course, this success was not achieved alone. If I am the visible side of the iceberg, then the invisible sides are the constant support of the Wrestling Federation and the efforts of our coaches.”

Jafarov also spoke about his future goals:

“I consider 2025 to be one of the most successful years of my career. I performed consistently in major competitions and represented my country with dignity on the international stage. Of course, it is always possible to do better, but this year was very valuable for me both in terms of results and experience. My main goal is to continue this success. I want to prepare at the highest level for upcoming international competitions, further improve my results, and see the Azerbaijani flag flying at the top.”

It should be noted that Jala Aliyeva, a member of Azerbaijan’s national wrestling team, was named the Best Female Athlete of the Year.