A year remains till the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A year later thousands of athletes from hundreds of countries will compete for a desired Olympic champion title in the Japanese capital. Exactly one year before the Olympic Games the ANOC press services had a conversation with Rio Olympic, three-time world, four-time European and European Games champion Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanyan.

Artur didn’t remember there was still a year to go till the Olympic Games though he remembered the month.

“I knew that the Olympic Games will kick off in July but I didn’t remember the day,” he said.

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be the third ones for Artur. He says he prepares for all the games in the same way.

“The only difference is that I’ll go to these Games as an Olympic champion”

To the question if it was more binding he answered:

“It doesn’t matter if they are Olympic Games, a world or European championship, for me they all are binding because everybody expects a gold medal of me.”

Artur Aleksanyan’s victory at the European Games in Minsk was his first success after the defeat at the 2018 World Championship. Artur’s victorious comeback put an end to the rumors that the Armenian wrestler had lost his strength and it would be tough for him to struggle.

“During the 2018 World Championship in Budapest my injury impeded me much. I don’t pay attention to the murmurs that I’m not the one who I used to be, I know and I feel inside that I can and I’m going to keep on fighting. My win at the European Games proved that such rumors and opinions are vain.”

Before the European Games Artur Aleksanyan took part in an international tournament in Kazakhstan and won. The Armenian wrestler stresses it was a difficult tournament too.

“Kazakhstan’s tournament is considered one of the toughest international tournaments. And there also I faced my main opponents and won.”

Of all the bouts spent in Minsk Artur singles out the first one.

“For me the first bout is the most difficult. After it I become more confident. I’d single out the final bout too.”

From September 14 to 22 Kazakhstan’s capital Nursultan will host the qualifying World Championship. The Olympic champion is preparing for the championship with the team. At present they are in the overloaded training phase. At the end of the conversation the Armenian wrestler said it wasn’t essential whom he would defeat at the World Championship (In 2018 he had lost to Russia’s Musa Yevloev in the final), the important was the final result.

“I’m going to Kazakhstan not to return the champion title but to become a four-time world champion and it doesn’t matter whom I will win on this way,” he concluded.