Azerbaijan's freestyle wrestler Ali Tsokayev has spoken about his performance at the World Championship, his defeat in the semi-finals, and his future plans.

According to Offsideplus.az, the wrestler thanked fans for their support and stated that his main goal is to win a gold medal at the World Championship, just as he did at the European Championship:

"Hello, Azerbaijan. I thank everyone who supported and cheered for me. I wanted to win a gold medal like I did at the European Championship. However, it didn't happen. My experience was not enough. This was my first appearance at the World Championship among the seniors. Next time, I will strive to win a gold medal for the Azerbaijan national team.

At the beginning of the semi-final match, things were going well. But then my opponent took advantage of my mistakes. My experience was also insufficient," he said.

Tsokayev also admitted that the defeats of his teammates in the bronze medal matches had a psychological impact on him:

"I was a bit tense after the defeats of our wrestlers who competed for bronze before me. We had few medals, and we couldn't win a gold medal at all. That's why I wanted to bring a bronze medal to the Azerbaijan team.

To be honest, both the coaches and I expected a gold medal from myself. I think this is more about losing a gold medal than winning a bronze," the wrestler emphasised.

He also discussed his future plans, revealing that he aims to compete in the 97-kilogram weight category next year:

"Next year, I aim to compete in the 97-kilogram category. Currently, even for 92 kilograms, my weight is not sufficient. Therefore, I plan to gradually increase my weight," Ali Tsokayev added.