Today, the local sports community welcomed Lorisa Oorzhak like a national hero, as she returned from the Championship of Russia in women’s wrestling in Stavropol with a gold medal.
In the words of the director of the sports and physical culture agency of the republic, Mergen Oorzhak, “ Lorisa’s return into the big sport is comparable to the heroism of Alexei Maresyev.” (*)
The Champion of Europe-2007 became Number One again in the Russian team in her weight category, 48 kg, after an almost two-year interruption because of serious injuries incurred in a motor vehicle accident.
As the experts in this sport admit, very few believed that Lorisa Oorzhak would ever return to the sport. And almost nobody thought that she would actually show up again on “the big carpet”. She had very severe injuries to her shoulder, and one of the girl’s kidneys had to be resected.
But Lorisa turned over all the pessimistic predictions. She defeated Lilia Kaskarakov in the Stavropol championship. And, at the same time, in the words of the coaches, she was stronger than before.
Immediately after the triumphant victory, the athlete was congratulated by telephone by the head of the republic, Sholban Kara-ool.
-I am in excellent form now, - told Lorisa to the journalists at the press-conference, which was organized in the Kyzyl sports complex “Subedei” especially for her arrival.
-I am happy that I am not finished as a wrestler, and that everything is working out.”
(*)
Alexei Maresyev (1916-2001) – Russian fighter pilot who was shot down in March 1942 on Nazi German territory. Despite severe injuries, he returned on his own to Soviet territory, an ordeal that took 18 days. During this time his injuries deteriorated, and his legs had to be amputated. Wanting to get back to flying, he subjected himself to a rigorous exercise program to master his prostheses, and went back to flying in June 1943; shot down another 11 fighter planes, and received multiple Orders and medals. A novel based on this was written by Boris Polevoy ( ‘Story of a Real man’), and a movie was made. (see Wikipedia for more details.)
