Arthur Akhmatkhuzin is the Olympic champion in fencing in team foil competitions in 2016. Of particular importance to this medal is the fact that the athlete went out to his fights with an artificial hip joint, having undergone a number of complicated operations two years before. In addition, on the account of the fencer, many awards won at world championships, Europe and other major tournaments.
The first steps
Arthur Kamilevich Akhmatkhuzin was born in Bashkiria in 1988. The boy’s parents were ordinary people, they lived in the village of Aktanyshbash, Krasnokamsky district. Future fencing star Arthur Akhmatkhuzin by Tatar nationality.
A simple Tatar boy got into big sport in the same way as many other guys.
At that time, trainers went to schools and recruited students in their sections. On that fateful day, a fencing coach came to the class of a native of Aktanyshbash.
Arthur Akhmakhuzin was impressed by the sight of sports weapons, luxurious equipment and, together with other guys, enrolled in the group of Ramil Ismagilovich Ayupov, his first mentor.
He was an authoritative specialist, an honored trainer of the USSR, who had already raised many titled students. Sharp, fast, possessing excellent reaction and a high level of intelligence, which are necessary for such a technically complex sport as fencing, Arthur Akhmatkhuzin quickly became the best student in Ayupov's group.
Carier start
A guy from Aktanyshbash successfully mastered the skills of a foil-fencer in the Youth Sports School No. 23 of the city of Ufa, until he got into the youth national team of the country in 2005. It was still unclear what significance fencing will have in the biography of Arthur Akhmatkhuzin. However, by this time he had already received a master of sports degree and managed to make his debut at the youth world championship.
The coach of the country's junior team was Vadim Raulevich Ayupov, the son of the first coach of the guy. However, Arthur Akhmatkhuzin in juniors did not achieve much success on a personal level in fencing. Most of the awards of that period were won by him as part of the team. It all started with the bronze of the 2007 Junior World Cup, in the same year the Russian team won silver at the European Championship.
In addition, there were victories at the national level, awards of the Universiades and Spartakiads. Arthur Akhmatkhuzin won his first personal fencing award only in 2010, becoming the bronze medalist of the European Youth Championship. Apparently, by this time he had finally matured as an athlete and began to regularly take prizes from various major youth tournaments, including the stages of the World Cup, Universiade and national tournaments.
Transition to an adult level
Since 2010, Arthur Kamilevich Akhmatkhuzin has won the right to speak for the main national team. In 2012, together with the team, he went to his first Olympiad in his life, however, due to the peculiar rule of alternating team competitions among fencers and rapiers, Arthur acted only in the individual competition, where he did not achieve special results.
However, for several years spent at an adult level, a guy from Bashkiria made some progress and became one of the strongest rapists on the planet. Of particular respect was the fact that Arthur had suffered from hip joint necrosis since birth and performed at major competitions, overcoming the disease.
However, over the years, things became more serious, a professional athlete of a high level began to limp clearly on one leg, and in fights could not show his talent in the whole range. However, in 2013, Arthur Akhmatkhuzin managed to qualify for the finals of the world fencing championship, where he lost to the American Chemley-Watson Miles.
Operations and Recovery
The trustee and sponsor of the Russian fencing team, billionaire Alisher Usmanov, having learned that the vice-champion of the world suffers from congenital necrosis, provided him with an examination in the best clinics in the world. He was consulted by doctors in Italy, Germany, but the operation was decided to be carried out in a special surgical hospital in New York.
In 2013, a series of operations was carried out, as a result of which Arthur changed the joint on one leg, placing a prosthesis from a titanium alloy, and performed restoration on the joint of the second leg.
After the most complicated surgical intervention, the athlete walked on crutches for two months, after which he underwent a comprehensive rehabilitation course in Russia under the supervision of Professor Vladimir Preobrazhensky. Eight months later, Arthur Akhmatkhuzin resumed training, began to participate in sparring.
In 2015, the fencer resumed competitions, won the selection for the World and European Championships. At the home world championship in Moscow, the staunch Arthur was able to win a bronze medal in the individual competition, to which he added silver in the team competition.
Rio 2016
Shortly before the 2016 Olympics, a team of rapists was led by Italian mentor Stefano Cerione. He was able to combine in training athletes the techniques of the two strongest fencing schools - Russian and Italian, thanks to which the team made significant progress.
The men's foil team in a bitter struggle reached the semifinals, where strong Americans became rivals. Composed of young athletes, the US team has already achieved many victories and was considered as one of the favorites of the tournament, however, this barrier was passed after stubborn battles.
In the final, the Russian team was waiting for the French, serious about winning. Throughout the match, the Russian team pursued strong opponents, constantly lagging behind.
Arthur Akhmatkhuzin unsuccessfully started a series of fights, losing the first round with a score of 1: 5. However, he managed to maintain maximum concentration and composure until the end of the match, where the fate of Olympic gold was decided.
Before the penultimate fight, in which Arthur was supposed to go, the French led 35:30 and seemed to guarantee themselves a victory. Their coach released substitute Tony Elissa, replacing Jeremy Kado. The cold-blooded Akhmatuzin took advantage of this. Elissa first walked onto the track that day, did not feel the rhythm of the fight and could not catch the opportunity to attack.
On an emotional upsurge, Arthur calmly dealt with a stunned Frenchman and provided a comfortable advantage for his team over the last duel, having won a mini-match against Elissa with a score of 10: 3. Alexei Cheremisin managed to bring the matter to victory and ensured the team an Olympic victory.
