Deputy The head of the USR section, Rafis Kozlov, successfully combines his main job with professional training in koresh wrestling. Behind him is the title of master of sports, prizes in various competitions and the absolute champion in freestyle wrestling at Batyrevsky Sabantuy in Chuvashia in 1990, as well as 60 absolute victories in competitions of various levels in koresh, including international ones in 2008 in Moscow. And he recently qualified for the Russian Championship in 2025.
Koresh is belt wrestling, traditional for the Turkic peoples. It is an important part of the “plow festival” at the end of sowing, which is called “Akatuy” among the Chuvash and “Sabantuy” among the Tatars and Bashkirs.
The 51-year-old metro builder, a native of Chuvashia, has been wrestling since childhood. And now, at an age that is already considered “veteran” for this sport, Kozlov continues to fight with young guys and win new victories. It’s not for nothing that he received the nicknames “invincible” and “legend” among Koresh fans. They write about him in books on wrestling, and his support group from different parts of the country calls with words of encouragement before competitions.
Rafis Kozlov is also called kind, and this correlates with his dream come true: now he himself teaches wrestling to children at the Luch sports complex in the Perovo region, combining coaching with work at Mosmetrostroy. He manages to share with the guys not only his rich physical experience, but also his philosophy. After all, according to Kozlov, sport in general helps in life.
At the same time, the metro builder does not miss his training with a personal mentor - he did not give up classes even after an injury. It is strict discipline that allows him to keep himself in shape and achieve success in what he loves. Sport became his support in difficult moments, for example, at the beginning of his career when moving to Moscow in the early 2000s. “I got my second wind when I went to training after the foundation pit, where I worked as a concrete worker,” he recalls.
In 2018, Kozlov came to Mosmetrostroy, where, as part of current tasks, he manages work at the Zamoskvoretskaya Line facilities. Among the reasons why he values this part of his life, he names good conditions in the company and the team. The management especially notes - thanks for the help and support of the director of the USR Alexander Bondarenko, the deputy general director of Mosmetrostroy for general issues and interaction with authorities Vasily Lomakin, the director of the Inzhproekt Institute Alexander Golubchikov and the general director of Mosinzhproekt Sergei Zhukov, who was also involved in the struggle.
We wish Rafis Kozlov health and victory in the Koresh Championship in 2025!