Interview with Bekhruz Salimov: "A Dream Should be Cherished"
Bekhruz Salimov is a rising star of taekwondo from Uzbekistan. He has a gold of the 8th Children of Asia Games (2024), the title of Junior Champion of Asia, three gold medals of Uzbekistan Championships, and a bronze medal of Junior World Championships. We spoke with him about his first major success, family support, his biggest dream, and the journey from childhood starts to adult podiums.
For many athletes, the Children of Asia Games are their first experience of major international competitions. What did they mean to you personally? How does a young athlete's world change when they put on their country's uniform for the first time and step onto the mat to face peers from other countries?
- For me, these Games truly became the first step into adult sports life. They meant much for me. I remember the moment I first put on the uniform with the emblem of Uzbekistan. It's an incredible feeling – it's as if you become a defender of your country's honor. When you step onto the mat, a thousand thoughts rush through your head, but among them, there wasn't a single one about defeat. The most important thing was one: to make sure the flag of Uzbekistan was raised higher than all the others.
Describe the moment you realized you had become the Children of Asia Games champion. What was your first thought? Who did you want to call or share the news with immediately?
- This is a feeling of happiness that I will remember for the rest of my life. After winning the final bout against the Azerbaijani athlete, I raised my hands and thanked the Almighty, saying "Alhamdulillah." My first thought was: "I did it!" And I immediately looked at my father. He believed in me more than anyone, and I really wanted to see his face at that joyful moment. I hope he remembers it forever too.
In an interview after your victory, you said you wanted to repeat your brother's success, who became the 7th Children of Asia Games champion in 2022. Was there pressure to "maintain the standard," or, on the contrary, did the thought that Shamsiddin had already done it give you confidence?
- For me, it wasn't a burden of pressure, but the best motivation. Knowing that my brother, with whom we trained side by side, had already won at these Games gave me tremendous confidence. It was a sign: I was on the right path to my goal. If he could do it, so could I.
Now you both train with the senior Uzbekistan national team. If we trace the path from victory at the Children of Asia Games to today, how did success at the Games influence your career?
- The victory in Yakutsk became a starting point that gave me colossal confidence. In subsequent competitions, I stepped onto the mat not just as a participant, but with the mindset of a future champion. This inner attitude helped me win major tournaments in Turkey and the UAE, win bronze at the Junior World Championships, and, of course, defend my title as the champion of Uzbekistan.
You won the Children of Asia Games in 2024 and then became a bronze medalist at the Junior World Championship—a dizzying rise. How did your preparation for the championship go after the Games?
- After the Games, our team attended training camps in Russia, in Tula, a couple of months later. There were joint training sessions with the national teams of Uzbekistan, Russia, and Belarus—very intensive and useful. We were excellently prepared technically and tactically, but at the World Championship itself, there were difficulties with weight cutting. It was harder than usual, and I think that played a role in the semi-final bout, which I couldn't win. But, as they say, everything happens as it should. A world bronze is also an achievement and a big lesson.
What would you advise young athletes who are just preparing for their first Children of Asia Games? What is important to remember?
- I really like this question. After my victory, I returned home, continued training, and saw huge potential in my friend, with whom we train. I told him: "You can also make it to the Children of Asia Games!" His name is Albazuni Subkhan. So my main advice is: believe in yourself as much as your mentors and loved ones believe in you. Be proud of the uniform with your country's symbols and fight to the end.
You and your brother are champions of Asia in different years, and you are also a world championship medalist. Uzbekistan is demonstrating phenomenal growth in taekwondo. In your opinion, what role do successful performances at youth tournaments like the Children of Asia Games play in this system?
- They play a huge role! It's the first real "adult" experience for a young athlete. At such Children of Asia Games, you feel the difference between regular competitions and an event of world scale, an atmosphere similar to the Olympic Games. It's the perfect preparation and test of resilience. When juniors are tempered here, they enter adult sports with a fighting spirit and an understanding of what a major start is. This is the foundation for the future victories of the entire national team.
What dream or specific sports goal now unites you? And how does the experience of victory in childhood help in moving towards adult podiums?
- The strongest dream is born in childhood, and I believe it should be cherished. The experience of winning at the Children of Asia Games taught me the most important thing: to cope with colossal nerves and to enjoy the fights under the flag of my country. This taste of victory and the confidence tempered in Yakutsk is my inner core. I want to be remembered not just as a good athlete, but as a true professional in my field, who always gave his all on the tatami.
