HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Despite the difficulties with the organization of international competitions due to the pandemic, the European Gymnastics Union successfully held the continental championship in Kiev at high level. Gymnasts also bored by the effects of the pandemic on international competitions have finally demonstrated their skills in Ukraine.

New achievements

The Azerbaijani national team demonstrated successful performance at the 36th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship attended by athletes from 23 countries. In group exercises, our team took the second place in the all-around. On the second day of the championship, the performance of our athletes Laman Alimuradova, Zeynab Hummatova, Yelizaveta Luzan, Maryam Safarova and Darya Sorokina with three hoops and two pairs of clubs was estimated at 31,700 points. With 66.300 points in two performances, the team was awarded silver medals in the all-around. Gold and bronze medals were awarded to the national teams of Israel and Ukraine, respectively. In the team competition, taking into account the performances in the juniors category and group teams, the national team of Azerbaijan stepped to the second step of the podium with 226.175 points.

In the Juniors category, two of our athletes made to the final stage of the tournament. Thus, Narmin Bayramova received 19.050 points for the rope exercise and took the sixth position. For the exercise with ribbon, she was awarded another 20.950 points with the fourth place. Alina Gozalova became the fifth for the exercise with the ball (21.050 points). In the exercise with clubs, Alina took the fifth position (21.900 points).

On the next day of the competition, the Azerbaijani national team won another medal in the group exercises. Our team became the third strongest team of the tournament for  exercises with three hoops and two pairs of clubs. Laman Alimuradova, Zeynab Hummatova, Yelizaveta Luzan, Maryam Safarova and Daria Sorokina received 30.650 points and a bronze medal. The first and second strongest teams were the national teams of Turkey (31.150) and Ukraine (31.150), respectively.

On the last day of the championship, adult athletes performing in the individual program competed to determine the winner in the all-around. Azerbaijan was represented by Zohra Agamirova and Arzu Jalilova. Zohra took the 9th place by cumulative points scored for performing with four accessories. A debutant of the competition, Arzu Jalilova, became the 12th leaving behind a number of experienced athletes.

Thus, the national team of Azerbaijan completed the continental championship with three medals. The third medal was won in the team competition in group exercises among juniors (Narmin Bayramova, Alina Gozalova, Ilona Zeynalova and Leyli Aghazade). The medal won in Kiev is the first award of Azerbaijan in the history of rhythmic gymnastics in group all-around.

The head coach's assessment

Commenting the performance of our athletes, the head coach of the Azerbaijani national team Mariana Vasileva said that it was a historical achievement in the history of Azerbaijan: “We have won medals at European championships before. But we did not have any awards in group all-around exercises. Our group exercise team is very young. After the 2019 World Cup in Baku, I decided to build a new team. Only Zeynab Hummatova remained from the old line-up. Daria Sorokina also took part in only one competition - the World Championship. For the rest of the girls, the tournament in Kiev was the first competition. As a result, nine Azerbaijani gymnasts returned from the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships with medals. I am pleased with their performance."

M. Vasileva said that this championship also became the first competition among adults for Arzu Jalilova: “Nevertheless, she left a pleasant impression. I would also like to highlight the juniors who returned home with bronze medals. Leyli Aghazade, Narmin Bayramova and Ilona Zeynalova performed for the first time. Our athletes have gained good experience." Vasileva called the 36th European Championship a historic event, as the competition was organized amid the pandemic.

Tribute to the martyrs of the Garabagh War

The Azerbaijani national team delighted the audience not only with an excellent performance, but also with an attractive sports form. Azerbaijani gymnasts performed in suits with no ornaments. The head coach chose the black colour for performances in group exercises. This was a tribute of the team to the memory of the fallen soldiers and officers of the Second Garabagh War and those who died from the coronavirus. Dressed in the fashion of ‘70-80s, our gymnasts attracted attention of the audience.

Great and first experience

The members of our team in group exercises Laman Alimuradova, Zeynab Hummatova, Yelizaveta Luzan, Maryam Safarova and Daria Sorokina shared their impressions of the 36th European Championship. Alimuradova said that the feeling of performance after a long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic was wonderful: “We won the medals because of the hard work of our coaches. Participation in the championship was a great experience all for us."

According to Safarova, this European Championship was the first for her: “I am glad that we performed very well. There are still many competitions ahead. We will continue to train and please the fans with new victories."

It was also the first performance for Luzan in group exercises: “Previously, I have performed in individual programs. Being part of a team gives me more confidence. As a team, we help each other in everything."

Sorokina said that she was happy about the good performance at the European Championship: “I thank the organizers of the competition. I can imagine how difficult it was to accomplish all this work amid the pandemic. It is important for us to participate in tournaments, gain experience, improve our techniques and skills. The tournament has become an important competition for our team."

Hummatova, the most experienced athlete of the team, noted that the team performed in two forms: “We presented our programs in exercises with five balls, as well as with three hoops and two pairs of clubs. Although the competitions were held without fans, the Azerbaijani delegation strongly supported and cheered for us. We didn't even feel the absence of fans in the hall. We felt the support of the whole Azerbaijan.”

The European Championship in Kiev was the last competition for our gymnasts in 2020. In the summer, our girls will take part in the largest sports event on the planet, the Olympic Games in Tokyo.