Last year can be described as a breakthrough for Azerbaijani aerobics. Ganja hosted the European Championship, where the mixed pair of Vladimir Dolmatov and Medina Mustafayeva celebrated victory. The same duo also won silver at the World Games and delivered strong performances at the World Cup stages.
What awaits the team in the new season? What tasks lie ahead? Marian Kolev, head coach of the national team, spoke about this in an interview with Idman.Biz. “We have already started preparations. We are changing the program for the mixed pair and updating last year’s routines, which they performed at almost all competitions.
Our main goal is the world championship, which will take place in September in Pamplona. The senior trio are also running test performances of their new program. We hope the routines will appeal both to spectators and to the judges,” the coach noted.
The Bulgarian specialist added that this season will differ somewhat from the previous one in terms of the number of competitions. “In aerobics, world and European championships are held every two years on a rotating basis. Last year the main event was the continental championship, while this year all attention will be focused on the world championship. As part of our preparation, we will compete in two World Cup stages. One will be held at the end of March in the Portuguese city of Cantanhede, and the second stage will take place in mid April in Tokyo. By the way, last year Dolmatov and Mustafayeva stood out at both tournaments, winning gold in Portugal and taking silver in Japan. It is possible that another World Cup stage will be added to the calendar. There is no official information yet, but we are awaiting news from the International Federation,” Kolev emphasized.
Major competitions also await athletes from the younger age groups. “We are forming a junior team that will compete at the world championship, which will precede the senior world championship and will also be held in Pamplona. The juniors have already gained international experience at the European Championship held at home. Everything is on track, we are training according to plan and eagerly awaiting the first starts of the season,” Kolev concluded.
Zaki Feyzullayev
