A PLEASANT SURPRISE

Among the awards won by Azerbaijani athletes at the first European Games in Baku was a medal in the triathlon. The sport of triathlon is in its formative stage in Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, the leader of the Azerbaijani team, Rostislav Pevtsov, proved he was worthy of a medal at the Baku-2015 European Games, so our supporters can look to the future with optimism.

At the triathlon competition, which was held on the beach at Bilgah, 58 athletes competed in swimming, cycling and running. The gold medal went to the British competitor, Gordon Benson, Joao Silva from Portugal was second and Rostislav Pevtsov third, completing the distance in 1 hour, 49 minutes and 4 seconds. The second Azerbaijani triathlete, Aleksandr Yatchenko, failed to finish.

Bronze medallist at the first European Games, Rostislav Pevtsov, told R+ that he regards this award as important for himself and for his federation: "I think winning a bronze was a successful result. I regard this as a personal best. There were no weak athletes at the first European Games. There may have been weak athletes at some time, but generally speaking, all the competitors were strong. I am pleased to be among the medallists."

Pevtsov spoke about his serious training for the Games: "Our federation was very thorough in its preparation for this competition. Every athlete wants to win a medal at these prestigious Games in Baku. I am pleased to be among the medallists. I can only speak highly of how the competition was organized. The opening ceremony showed how Azerbaijan has prepared for these Games. This ceremony gave a boost for all our athletes."

The athlete believes he caused a surprise by winning a bronze at the European Games, because the fans really hoped for success in Azerbaijan's traditional events, and the fact that he came third with such keen competition was a surprise: "In Azerbaijan wrestling is a more popular sport, and generally speaking, we do well in the martial arts. Our karate athletes and other sportsmen have given us pleasure at the first European Games. Few people expected us to get a medal in the triathlon because it is not a very popular sport in Azerbaijan. And it was a pleasant surprise for our fans when I won the bronze. Friends have been phoning me saying I proved to everyone that you can win any event. Triathlon is an interesting sport. All you need is the right approach."

In the interview the athlete said that he would be trying to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil: "If I had won first place at the event in Baku I would have qualified for the Olympics in Brazil. My main aim now is to get to Rio de Janeiro and my success at the European Games will give me encouragement. The main thing is to win a ticket to the Olympics and then I can start thinking about doing well there. So I mustn't give up training. We shall be taking part in a number of international qualifying tournaments."

Pevtsov also expressed confidence that there would be more interest in the triathlon in the country after the European Games. There were a lot of spectators at all the events. That means that people love sport and are supporting its development. Although triathlon is a young sport in our country, it has already won over the fans. My winning a bronze has made more young people interested in the triathlon."

Pevtsov was pleased with the design of his medal: "I have a very beautiful medal, which has a lot of interesting elements. It is beautifully designed. It's a bit heavy but I am strong enough to wear it."

He said that he is dedicating his medal to his family and his supporters: "My family is very happy for me. The fact that I won a medal is down to them, too. The coaches have faith in me. They pass on all their knowledge to me. I thank them. I dedicate this medal to my family and my supporters. If he has support an athlete can achieve great success. Although triathlon is a new sport for us, we were not without support. This gives me strength for more success. My greatest dream is to win a medal for Azerbaijan in Brazil."