Arthur Khaptsev is a two-time World Beach Sambo champion

Russian heavyweight, Arthur Khaptsev from UMMC Sambo Club (Verkhnyaya Pyshma) became two-time winner of the first ever World Beach Sambo Championship. It was held in Larnaka (the Republic of Cyprus) on August 28-29. In addition to the gold medal of the individual tournament, Arthur won in the team competition among the national teams. First our wrestlers defeated a very strong Romanian team and then, in the final, the Ukrainian national team. This was done, so to speak, with a distinct advantage, without the slightest chance for the opponent.

- Actually, it is a new sport. It differs very much from traditional sambo. You have to be constantly alert, the sand is loose, so any step may lead to a fall," admits the champion. - However, the impression of the tournament is only the most positive. Still, a victory is a victory.

Arthur Khaptsev also revealed some of the secrets of wrestling on such an unusual “mat”:

- When I started to practice sambo and judo in Nalchik, we trained near the local racecourse, and we also had a couple of sandy areas where we practiced certain techniques. Immediately before the World Championships in Cyprus we were training at the national team's base in Novogorsk, Moscow region, as usual on the mat. But, by arrangement, we were allowed to wrestle in long jump sand pit for 5-10 minutes.

Our two-time world beach sambo champion prefers not to plan his future, but he hopes to fight at the 2022 World Forum on a regular mat.