KARATEKAS JUSTIFY HOPES

In the first-ever European Games in Baku, our karatekas were the first to please the fans. Having won six medals in two days, Azerbaijani masters of martial arts demonstrated their strength, becoming the best team in this prestigious competition. Of the 12 sets of medals, our team won four gold and two bronze medals. Firdovsi Farzaliyev (60 kg), Rafayil Agayev (75 kg), Irina Zaretskaya (68 kg) and Ayxan Mamayev (84 kg) went on top of the podium, while Niyazi Aliyev (67 kg) and Ilaha Qasimova (5 kg) became bronze winners. Although the Turkish national team won more - nine medals, they lag behind our team in their value. In the end, the winners of the competitions in karate are representatives of 12 countries.

Ilaha Qasimova, who competed in the weight category of 55 kg, brought the first medal to the Azerbaijani team at the historic European Games. Failing to fulfill the coaches' instructions in full, Ilaha lost in the semifinals, but then was able to win the battle for third place, thus contributing the first medal to the national team of Azerbaijan in karate.

As for the gold medal, Firdovsi Farzaliyev, who competed in the category of 60 kg, inscribed his name as the first Azerbaijani champion of the European Games. After defeating all rivals, he won the highest award in his sports career and lived up to the expectations of the coaches.

The same success was expected from by Rafayil Agayev, who represented the country in the 75 kg category. The four-time European champion and multiple world champion confirmed his great skill, rising to the highest step of the podium. The tactics chosen by Rafayil on his way to the gold medal are noteworthy. After winning all the bouts with a minimal margin, our award-winning karateka looked completely different on the mat than before. This time we saw a calm and balanced fighter who patiently waited for his competitors to make a mistake and made maximum use of the chance. That is how he eventually became the winner of the first European Games.

Ayxan Mamayev proved once more that he has no equals in the category of 84 kg. Having been injured in the cheekbone in the first bout, the athlete did not report it to the doctors or coaches. After all, had the doctors confirmed the severity of the injury, he would have had to stop the fight. So with the injury he reached the end of the tournament. After all the bouts at the highest level, he won the gold medal.

Having become the winner in the category of 68 kg, Irina Zaretskaya strengthened her place in the national team of Azerbaijan. On the way to the gold medal, Irina won all five bouts. She won special applause for heartily singing the national anthem of Azerbaijan while standing on the podium during the awards ceremony. And after that, the karateka, who is originally from Ukraine, told R+ how she learned the words of the national anthem: "In our national karate team there is a great tradition - after each practice we sing the national anthem of Azerbaijan by heart. When I first came to the team, I felt somewhat awkward - everyone performed the national anthem, but I contented myself only with listening to them. Then my teammate Farida taught me the words of the anthem. I promised that after winning the gold medal, I would sing the anthem with all my heart. I'm glad that my dream came true."

Although in the category of 67 kg everyone expected Niyazi Aliyev to win, he could not get into the finals. However, in the bout for the "bronze", Niyazi Aliyev demonstrated great skill, won a landslide victory and became a prize winner of the Games.

Against the background of the success of karatekas, the fans were saddened by the failure of the national team captain Sahin Atamov. The athlete, who did not look like himself in the group stage, failed to get into the playoffs.

Like fans, the head coach of the national team Rahman Hatamov was pleased with the performance of our athletes. In an interview with R+, he highly appreciated the performance of his players: "Our karatekas lived up to our expectations. Although Azerbaijani karatekas have returned home with awards from all competitions, the tournament in Baku was doubly important for us. After all, karate was included in the programme of the first ever European Games at the insistence of our country and President Ilham Aliyev. He believed in us. Today I can say with confidence that in order to achieve success, our athletes fight to the end in any competition."

Speaking about the opening of the first Olympic Games, the head coach said that it invigorated his students: "The karatekas entered the race the next day after the opening ceremony. So I gave them the freedom to choose. I said that if someone does not want to participate in this ceremony, we will meet this decision with understanding. The athletes might have been tired. In addition, they naturally feel excited before competitions. The huge support of fans at the opening ceremony of the Games could have, on the contrary, the opposite effect. Most athletes expressed the desire to participate in this ceremony. And after that, they said that the grand atmosphere that prevailed there gave them strength and that they will definitely be fighting for the top awards."

Touching upon the performance of the world and European champion in karate, Rafayil Agayev, in the European Games, Rahman Hatamov expressed dissatisfaction with this athlete in the group stage: "Rafayil is a world famous karate master. All karatekas of the world prepare for a bout with him. They look for online recordings of his workouts. After all, beating Agayev is their biggest dream. In the group, Agayev didn't show his full potential. We saw the real Rafayil later. Though the fans urged him to attack, we chose a different tactic. There's no need to take risks. A victory with any score is still a victory. That's why I didn't allow Agayev to take risks."

The head coach also admitted that it is very difficult to perform first: "Among the Azerbaijani athletes, the karatekas were the first to join the fight. This is a huge responsibility and strong emotions. The slightest mistake can affect the result of the whole team. We experienced many exciting moments, but still managed and became winners. We were able to represent our country with credit. Our success is the success of the Azerbaijani people. President Ilham Aliyev has always had a high opinion of our karatekas. We thank Mr President for the excellent conditions created for us. It's for this reason that our rivals are afraid of us today."