A DUEL THAT DIDN'T TAKE PLACE

Each of the 56 medals won at the First European Games is a huge success for Azerbaijan. But two of them are worthy of mention in particular. Two Azerbaijani flags were raised at the fencing competitions for the first time. The twin sisters Sevil and Sevinc Bunyadov won silver and bronze medals in the fencing with sabres. Although their chances of winning prizes at the fencing were assessed as relatively low, the sisters were able to register two medals simultaneously for Azerbaijan's collection.

Born in Russia in 1989, the Bunyadov sisters have been engaged in this type of sport from the age of nine. Their parents have played an important part here.

This is how Sevil remembers these years: "Our parents instilled in us a love for this type of sport. Fikrat muallim [term of respect in Azeri] himself (F. Valiyev is still coaching the sisters and is the chief coach of the Azerbaijani fencing team - author) has become our first coach. To begin with, we fenced with foils and then went over to sabres."

Sevinc also said that the idea of taking up fencing was her parents' idea. She said that her parents were at work all day and then did not want to leave them at home by themselves.

This is why the Bunyadov sisters took up sport: "Our parents would spend the whole day at work. Therefore they registered us in a sports section so that we were not left at home by ourselves. To be honest, it seemed a bit strange to begin with. At any rate, fencing is not such a popular sport here, although people like it a lot in Europe. In France thousands of people do fencing. But it's a bit different here."

They had to train very seriously for the First European Games. Although the fans expected that medals would be won in the traditional types of sport, Sevil and Sevinc also aspired to the awards. But they did not risk assessing their chances. Our sportsmen have always won a lot of medals in wrestling and boxing. The European Games which took place in Baku were a huge impetus for every sportsman. You see, the Games were held in our motherland. We wanted to prove that we could win medals in other types of sport and not just in the traditional sports.

Although the first bouts were hard-fought ones, we went on to feel the wind of the finals. The fans' support and the advice of the coaches helped us feel confident right to the end. We were very close to coming out on top. Just one hit prevented that," Sevinc said.

In the finals Sevil Bunyadova came second to the Polish fencer Angelika Watorlaj with a score of 14:15. This is how the sportswoman recalls those moments: "Angelika defeated my sister. Therefore the final was doubly important for us. I wanted to win the match against my opponent and make my sister happy. Everything was under control. With the score 14:13 in my favour, I would have been able to win, making that decisive hit. But I wasn't able to do it. I felt absolutely terrible.

Losing in the finals has a negative psychological effect on sportsmen. I so much wanted to win the gold medal. I dreamed of hearing our national anthem…"

Sevinc describes the Polish sportswoman as being very physically fit. But she is by no means invincible. "I didn't feel sad after I lost in the semi-finals. Somehow my sister managed to make it into the finals. But her failure evoked other, somewhat different feelings. Now it is a bit difficult to talk about that. At any rate, each of us won a medal. We won the "silver" and the "bronze". We managed to get our flag raised."

Sevil Bunyadova recalls with regret how she let the gold medal slip away at the last moment: "I lost by just one hit. The judges also made a mistake. I was possibly in too much of a hurry when I made the last strike. I wanted to win that gold medal more quickly. I wouldn't have been so upset if I had lost by a big margin."

The sisters had previously been successful. But it was the first time that they had won medals individually. Although they had dreamt of fighting one another in the finals, that wasn't to happen. Sevinc says that a bout between the two sisters in the finals could have been very interesting. "We were always opponents at the training sessions. After the training session we were sisters again. At the Games we were opponents. If we had made it to the finals, it would have been very interesting. At any rate, a bout between the twin sisters in the finals could have attracted a great deal of attention. If I had found myself face to face with my sister in the finals, that would have been an open match. There could not have been any question of making concessions. In sport there are no sisters, only opponents. The victory of either of us would have made both of us happy."

Similar in their appearance, the sisters spoke about the interesting moments they experienced during the Games. Sevinc said that they could tell which one was which by a mole on Sevil's face. "Our parents do not get us mixed up. It is more difficult for other people. The coaches are already used to us and can tell who is who. Sevil has a mole on her face. So, that's how they recognise her. Sometimes one and the same sportsman greets me twice. We are almost identical. Previously, I used to go to lessons in Sevil's place. The teachers did not notice. But we have not done that in our sports careers. We fence in different ways."

Having been in difficult material circumstances as children, the Bunyadov sisters are already planning how they will spend the money they have earned. Sevil is planning to spend the prize money on her daughter's future: "I told my daughter that, if I were to win, I would spend the money on her future. I would like to thank Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev for the support he has rendered to such a prestigious competition. The president is always there, backing his sportspeople."

Sevinc has still not decided what she is going to do. At the present time, she is no longer worrying about the awards, but about the preparations for her forthcoming wedding. "For the moment, I have not thought about it. I'm getting married in September.  I will probably spend the money on the wedding. Usually, quite a sum is needed for that. I can say that I won't have any financial problems now."

The Bunyadov sisters have said that they feel sure that the First European Games will play a big part in their future successes. Sevil has said that the medals won will also serve as a spur to the development of fencing in the country. "These medals will change the attitude to fencing. Now children will be more enthusiastic about taking it up. We will also become more serious in training for upcoming competitions. We shall try to achieve fresh successes."