14 Mar
Ali Kazimov
A first-year Management student at UEHS
Patience and hard work: our student is second at the Polish Sambo Championship
20-year-old Ali modestly claims he is not a “universal soldier”, but in fact he is! He has been practicing judo since childhood, recently trained freestyle wrestling and took second place in sambo at the Polish championship. Ali studies Management at the The University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw”. He is open, brave, full of respect for other people. He is a guy who is easy to get along with. He communicates in English, Polish, Azerbaijani, Turkish and Russian. Well, really, how could he not be a universal soldier? 
Hello, celebrity! Nice to meet you! Congratulations on your well-deserved success!
I know you do judo professionally, but you got 2nd place at the Polish championships with sambo. Are you a universal soldier?
Ali: Thank you so much!
No, of course, i’m not 🙂
Judo and sambo are very similar, besides, before the competition I did freestyle wrestling for three or four months to be able to participate in this competition.
Why and when did you take up judo?
Ali: At the age of 13, my father sent me to the judo section, both my father and grandfather trained this sport when they were young.
Why and when did you take up judo?
Ali: At the age of 13, my father sent me to the judo section, both my father and grandfather trained this sport when they were young.
It’s something that’s passed down from generation to generation. Look, you’re from another country, You moved in less than a year ago and you’ve already had such success. How did you manage to break into the Polish sports world?
Ali: So, the reason why I started training in Poland, is my coach in Azerbaijan, Rashad Hasanov. Polish National Team invited him to the Poland. And now he’s the main coach of the Polish National Team. He said me that I could come here, study and train. So I started!
How often do you train? What motivates you?
Ali: I can say every day, and when I’m not working out twice a day.
My father always supports me. He keeps interested in my successes and in my studies also. I can say he’s the reason why I stay motivated and dedicated!
We’re proud to have you as a student at our university. Btw, how did you find out about it? Why did you choose it?
Ali: A friend of my father from the Apply-UNI Study Abroad company recommended this university to me ’cause I had to go to Poland to see a coach and needed to go somewhere to study at the same time. And also I heard a lot of good things about this university from other students.
You’re studying Management. What opportunities do you see for yourself after graduation?
Ali: Management is a very advanced field, and after graduating I think that I could work in many places. I’m also thinking about opening a personal business in the future, maybe related to sports.
You’ve been our student for almost a year. What is your favorite thing about university?
Ali: So I really like that professors at this university are really helpful. And even when I have some problems, they all the time help me to solve it. I really like that.
You’re a sportsman. Does the discipline and self-control you were brought up with help you in your life and studies?
Ali: Yes, it actually helps a lot, of course, combining sports and study is very difficult, but judo is a sport that forces a person to be patient and disciplined. And these qualities are very important in life.
What does it say on your hoodie? 🙂
Ali: It means also patience in my language and the same in Arabic 🙂
How do you feel in Poland, Warsaw? What tips would you give to students who are just moving to Poland and maybe have similar interests to you?
Ali: I really like Poland. My last result was in 2019 in Baku, I took second place. After that I did not give any results for a long time, but when I came here I showed myself so well! I advise everyone who intends to come here to be patient because at first it will seem that everything is difficult, there is no opportunity to perform due to problems with documents and so on, but sooner or later you will achieve success if you work hard!
Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank to Judo Club Ris and and Kavkaz Warsaw Zapasy club. These clubs really helped me. I really appreciate that. And of course, first of all, I want to thank God for everything. Because everything what I have, it’s just because of God.
We thank Ali for the interview and wish best of luck in sports, studies and future business!
Alona Trokhymchuk,
UEHS in Warsaw
