Belarus sambista steals the show

BAKU: Sportsmanship and camaraderie shone through in the sport sambo competition on Monday at the European Games as Belarus’ Stsiapan Papou carried his injured Azerbaijan opponent Amil Gasimov off the mat in Baku to loud applause after having beaten the world champion in the final.
It was the sort of gesture and dramatic moment that the sambo enthusiasts would have been hoping for as the sport — a mix of of various martial arts including jujitsu, greco-roman wrestling and judo — made its debut on a wider international stage than it has been previously accustomed to.
Papou — who was one of two sambistas from his country to win gold on an electric night of sambo action watched by a noisy and knowledgeable crowd of 5,000 — was well in control of his -74 kilogrammes final and all but sealed victory with an agonising looking leg clamp of Gasimov’s Achilles.
Gasimov, who was one of a sad succession of four sambistas from the host country who failed to deliver gold in their finals in front of the watchful gaze of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, had been carrying a leg injury into the final and had to give into the inevitable.
Then came the extraordinary gesture by Papou — who showed a softer side that hardly reflects the origins of the sport as he lifted Gasimov onto his shoulder and carried him off the mat.
The fallen Azerbaijani sambista was then taken out of the arena in a wheelchair and Papou was on hand to help him on and off the podium for the medal ceremony to boot.
“In Azerbaijan, sambo is more than a sport. Everybody was supporting him and he just didn’t want to give up,” said 31-year-old Papou, an avid book reader in his spare time when he is not pinioning opponents to the mat.
“We went on the ground and I was in control all the time. He tried to get me, but I was sitting on his Achilles heel.“I did that (carrying him off), because I know how much it hurts. I’ve lost that way before and I know the pain.”
“We met before in the World Cup in Russia,” said Gasimov.“We know each other well because we have met a lot of times, on the mat we are rivals, but after the bout, outside the mat we have good relations.”