The husband of Azerbaijan’s Paralympic champion Lamia Velieva, sprinter Tembo John, may be called up to represent Azerbaijan at international level, İdman.Biz reports, citing local media.
The Azerbaijan Athletics Federation confirmed that the South Africa-born athlete has so far been competing in events organised by the federation as a club representative and is not currently a member of the national team.
According to the federation, Tembo John has formally expressed his desire to compete for Azerbaijan. The request has been reviewed by the national team’s coaching staff, who have outlined specific performance benchmarks. Should the athlete meet these standards, his application to represent the country could be approved.
Lamia Velieva is one of Azerbaijan’s most successful Paralympians. She won gold in the 400 metres at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and followed that up with another title at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, this time in the 100 metres.
Tembo John has also enjoyed recent success on the track in Azerbaijan, winning the 60 metres at an international indoor meeting held in Baku on 30 January, a result that further strengthened discussion around his potential inclusion in the national setup.
