SECOND ON THE CONTINENT

The Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championship held in Vienna brought another silver medal to the treasury of Azerbaijani gymnasts. After a successful performance at the World Championship, the Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnastics team climbed to the second step of the podium in the group exercises. The continental championship is different from other tournaments by the exigencies of competition and the number of favourites. In this respect, it can be said that the Azerbaijani gymnasts honourably withstood the difficult test. The head coach of the national team, Mariana Vasileva, spoke about the success in Austria and the current state of rhythmic gymnastics in an interview with R+.

- Did you believe that you would achieve such success at the continental championship in Vienna?

- To be honest, I'm very pleased. For the fifth time in a row, we are back from the European Championships with medals. This is a great achievement. Our gymnasts honourably withstood the intense competition, proving that our successes are not accidental. In Azerbaijan, gymnastics continues to develop, and that's why we show good results at all competitions.

- In the group exercises, our team lost only to the Russian team.

- Russia dictates fashion in gymnastics. Losing only to Russia means competition with gymnasts from this country. I am very happy with our team. In the group exercises, we won a silver. With their performances, Marina Durunda and Lala Yusifova demonstrated willingness to fight alongside adults. In individual performances, we finished fourth in the continent, repeating last year's result.

- The next European Champio-nship will be held in 2014 in Baku. What do you expect from this event?

- We have to prepare for the championship at home more seriously, as any tournament at home is a festive occasion for the fans. I believe that we will perform adequately at the next continental championship too.

- Before the European Champio-nship, the team successfully performed at the World Cup. Can we say that our team continues to show consistently good results?

- I am pleased with our performance at the World Championship. I value the performance with ten clubs in the final especially highly. We were behind only Olympic champions - teams from Russia, Belarus and Italy. For the first time at the World Championship, our gymnasts won a silver medal. Note that we have a very young team, and in the future, we will achieve even greater success. In the all-around events, we took fourth place. I liked the performance of Marina Durunda.

- How do you assess the rate of development of gymnastics in Azerbaijan?

- In Azerbaijan they love gymnastics. Our school operates in most regions. Baku will host the European Championships in 2014 and the World Cup in 2019. This will further strengthen the interest in gymnastics in the country. I want to thank the leadership of the Azerbaijani Federation of Gymnastics and its President Meh-riban Aliyeva for the conditions created for the team.

- In 2015, Baku will host the First European Olympic Games. Gym-nastics is also among the sports in the Games.

- The conduct of the first ever European Olympic Games in Azerbaijan is a big event. I am sure that the authoritative competition will take place at a high level. The inclusion of gymnastics in the European Olympic Games is joyful and responsible. We are seriously preparing for all competitions, but for the tournament in our native Baku we will prepare with special enthusiasm, of course.

- The National Gymnastics Arena is under construction in Baku. I would like to know your opinion about this complex.

- The construction of Europe's best gymnastics complex will be completed in Baku by the end of the year. All conditions for training and competitions will be created there. This complex will greatly facilitate our work. We will train in a wonderful arena. In addition, teams from other countries will be able to practice in our capital. Already at this stage, a lot of national teams want to come to Azerbaijan and practice here. I am very glad that our gymnasts will have such a great arena.

- In Azerbaijani gymnastics, new names have appeared among juniors and youth. Which of the promising athletes can you mention?

- A new Olympic cycle will start this year, so the emergence of new names among the young is totally natural. With successful performances in a number of competitions, our girls were able to form a positive opinion about themselves. Lala Yusifova is a two-time winner of the European Junior Championships. The recent performances of Marina Durunda cannot but please us. The fact that she is in the top eight in the world rankings despite her young age indicates the promising future of these athletes. Our girls also played with confidence at the World Championship and Grand Prix tournaments. Many experts say that it will take a worthy place in world gymnastics. The bronze medallists of Europe, Nilufar Niftaliyeva and Gulsum Safizada, will soon begin to compete with them. With their more successful performances at each new competition, these girls prove that they are on the right track.

- What challenges do you face in the process of selection for the team?

- In recent years, the girls tend to make us happy with their results. From 2009 to 2012, 14 of our juniors were awarded silver and bronze medals at European championships. These results allow us to look to the future with optimism. But in the process of selection for the national team, we are faced with some problems. Typically, athletes are recruited for the national team from 12. But sometimes gymnasts even at this age do not yet have the necessary form, and within two or three years, we bring them up to the desired level. And this is an additional waste of time. I thank the Gymnastics Federation of Azerbaijan for organizing local and international courses for coaches. I think it will contribute to the development of coaches and manifest itself during the preliminary training of gymnasts. After the launch of the new gymnasium complex, we would like to select girls from the age of 5-8 and hold special training sessions with them.