How Mansur Isaev found a remedy against everyone

Judoist Mansur Isaev won Olympic gold, and Kommersant-BoscoSport special correspondent ANDREY KOLESNIKOV found out from him about the oblique grip, about what his father said when he defeated the Japanese, and about what Mansur Isaev himself said to the Japanese when he defeated him .

Mansur Isaev was not at The Bosco Club until late at night, although he promised to come, and they were waiting for him here. Fragmentary information was received: the guy left the international press center, but alone. With a driver, but without a phone. And we already know these drivers, of whom international federations and delegations have much less than free cars allocated or taken out for sports and related sports needs. It’s harder to get drivers than cars, there’s a catastrophic shortage of them, so most of them are from Wales for some reason, and you have to explain to them how to use the navigator in an Audi... Yes, it took a very long time to drive from one end of the city to the center. So they rode.

Here, at The Bosco Club, another Olympic judo champion, Arsen Galstyan, a friend, was waiting for Mansur Isaev. He had been waiting with everyone else for several hours, drinking still water, but eating well and was determined to wait for Mansur.

And he still came.

Surrounded by television cameras, against the backdrop of the unfurled Russian flag, he looked very embarrassed. He smiled, but it was a kind of pained smile. A person who can force such a smile to win the Olympic Games has nothing left to do, in my opinion.

They asked him where his gold medal was. He caught himself, and his face became as confused as only a person can have who suddenly realized: damn, I lost my wallet... Only he was even more confused, because it wasn’t his wallet that he lost.

And at that very moment that face became blissful: he remembered! He dug into the pocket of his wide sweatpants and pulled out an Olympic gold medal.

That is, I didn’t want to just sit with the car with a medal on my chest. It’s as if such Mansur Isaev is traveling from the international press center to The Bosco Club in London, and Olympic gold sparkles on his chest. I thought about it, took it off and put it in my pocket. Then, however, I forgot which one.

Then a man approached him, who more often than Mansur Isaev held Olympic gold in his hands.

- Well done, I made you happy! - said three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin, hugging Mansur, who was shifting from foot to foot against the backdrop of the Russian banner.

And he whispered something else in his ear. Mansur nodded gratefully.

Then Mansur and I sat in the semi-darkness of the tea room, and I asked him:

- Can you tell me what Karelin said in your ear?

The judoka looked at me searchingly. He didn’t want to, it seemed, but he couldn’t resist, suddenly smiling just right, somehow bright and wide (I didn’t expect it from him after those courageous smiles for the cameras):

- San Sanych said: “Just one note, Mansur, the medal must be held by the ribbon, otherwise it will darken.” Such a remark from such a person!

Yes, Alexander Karelin knew that he was talking about gold medals. Apparently, the first couple of medals turned dark before I realized what was going on.

— Is judo really philosophy as a part of life? Do you live in judo only on the tatami or in civilian life too? — I asked Mansur Isaev.

- This is a very real philosophy. Judo is...

He looked at me, how to say... soulfully. He thought maybe that I would understand him without words.

And I probably could.

But I needed words.

“This is not just a sport...” he continued. “Some kind of sport, that’s all... No, it’s a lot of great traditions!” This has been preserved in Japan. When we are there, we see this. Let's fill ourselves with this...

And we defeat the Japanese at the Olympics, I mentally added, but did not say it out loud, because I already understood: he might be offended for the Japanese whom he defeated.

In the semi-finals he defeated the Korean.

“The first number in the world ranking in general...” said Mansur.

— What is your rating? — I asked.

The same expression appeared on his face as when he started looking for the gold medal.

- Oh, fourth! - he remembered with relief. - But this semi-final and final - these were my strongest rivals.

- In life? - I asked again.

“Yes, in life, in life,” he confirmed. “All the guys who fought can say what kind of people they are.” They are great.

He did not want to emphasize now that he had won against the greats. He just wanted to say they were great.

— How could you win against such greats? - I asked.

- In fact, I clearly followed the instructions that our head coach Ezio Gamba gave for the fight! - Mansur Isaev said solemnly. - As Ezio Gamba says, there are no secrets in victory - only work. Just work, that's all.

He still had to say something about the coach. He hasn't spoken out yet. We just had to wait a little.

But there was no need to wait.

“I’ve been involved in judo since I was eight years old, I joined the national team, the main team...” he recounted his life in a nutshell. “But when Ezio Gamba joined the team, everything changed so much!” Actually everything. The whole system works! Drastically!

- So what was the setup for the fight?

- How can I explain it to you? Work proactively with the Korean, use a grip that is inconvenient for him?

- What kind of capture?

Mansur looked at me with regret:

“I’ll tell you, but you won’t understand... Oblique grip.” It is very difficult for Asians to fight him.

Oblique grip... It's better not to think about it.

— Did you say something to the Japanese when you won? They leaned over to him and said something. In English?

“Yes,” Mansur was embarrassed.

- And what?

“I told him: “I am a champion!”

- And he?

- But he doesn’t!

Mansour laughed.

“And in the final, the main task was to turn off the Japanese’s working hand,” Mansur continued.

Oblique grip at the shoulders