Gymnastics, source of pride for Azerbaijan

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijani athletes showed brilliant results during the inaugural European Games held on June 12-28, which brought together over 6,000 athletes to compete in 20 sports in Baku.

The country came in second with 56 medals in the overall ranking. Gymnastics is one of the disciplines where the country showed great resolve, proving once more that the sport has come a long way in a short period of time in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani gymnast Oleg Stepko brought the country five medals: one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals in artistic gymnastics. One of the bronze medals Stepko earned in men’s team performing together with Petro Pakhnyuk and Eldar Safarov. Moreover, Marina Durunda earned silver in rhythmic gymnastics and Ilya Grishunin won bronze in the trampoline.

Following the Games, the Baku Gymnastics School held competitions in all gymnastic disciplines on July 2-3.

About 300 gymnasts aged 5 to 13 years took part at the competitions.

“In order to develop and promote gymnastics in the country, we invited gymnasts from Sumgayit and the country’s Balaken region,” said principal teacher Adigozal Rajabov. “Moreover, alongside medals and diplomas, we for the first time awarded the junior gymnasts cups and several nominations such as ‘gymnast of the year’ or ‘most disciplined gymnast’.”

The head teacher said that such events encourage junior athletes to express themselves. “Every parent happy when their child receives a certificate or medal. This is also a chance for gymnasts themselves to train harder,” he said.

The most memorable moment at the awards ceremony was the participation of European Games winner Oleg Stepko and bronze medalist Eldar Safarov.

The Baku Gymnastics School is the primary institution for training future gymnasts. Competitions are held several times in a year—during the middle and at the end of the school year—where gymnasts are able to showcase the skills that they have acquired during their training.

The school was reconstructed after it suffered severe damage from a fire in 2008, only to become one of the best in the country. Each room of the school has state-of-the-art equipment. This summer the school will undergo a renovation.

Many of Azerbaijan’s famed professional coaches including Adil Huseynzade, Adigozal Rajabov, Irada Gurbanova, Abdulla Gasimov, Rza Aliyev and Rahib Aliyev work at the school, where more than 700 students of different ages study.

“Interest in gymnastics in the country is increasing every day, and it only pleases us,” said Shahin Kazimzade, the deputy director of the school.

The school is awaiting a new batch of children, whose numbers increase every year. Kazimzade, however, added that only the strongest ones remain until the end.