Ismayil Rza, a member of the Ganjlar club, is the tallest volleyball player in Azerbaijan. He stands 211 centimeters tall, and considering that he turned just 17 on December 5, it is quite possible that he will grow even taller in the near future.
Idman.Biz decided to introduce its readers to this young athlete in more detail.
– Ismayil, where do you study, and have you faced any problems at school because of your height?
– Although our family is originally from the Tovuz region, I was born in Baku. I studied at School No. 204 until the fifth grade, then transferred to Lyceum No. 287. I have never had serious problems because of my height. I was already the tallest even in kindergarten (laughs). The only difficulty was people’s reactions: some looked with curiosity, others with caution. But my height never stopped me from communicating or making friends at school. Perhaps this is because I am sociable and can easily talk about many topics.
– What about your relatives?
– I got my height from them (laughs). My mother’s brother, a former serviceman, is exactly two meters tall, and my cousin, his son Agabey Rzayev, is 204 cm tall. He also plays volleyball for the Ordu club and is my age. There is a saying for a reason: “A boy takes after his uncle” (laughs).
– I can imagine what would happen in a fight. Have you ever had to sort things out with your fists at school?
– No, nothing like that has ever happened. No one has ever picked on me. As I said, sometimes people even look cautiously. Who would risk starting a fight with me? (laughs). In general, I do not like conflicts. I prefer normal, respectful communication. At least in our class, everyone treats me well.
– Does your height cause more problems, or does it help you?
– It depends on the situation. When it comes to shoes and people’s looks, it is definitely a problem. I used to feel uncomfortable because of people staring at me on the street, but now I do not pay much attention to it. By the way, volleyball helped a lot in this regard: there you feel among “your own,” and the height difference is not as noticeable as on the street.
As for shoes, I order them only through Trendyol and Amazon. Fortunately, I have no problem with English. Where else could I find size 51.5 shoes in Baku? (laughs). Finding clothes is relatively easier, I wear XXL, but shoes and suits are a big challenge. I have my suits tailored.
There is also the issue of transportation. When I take a taxi, I always sit in the front seat. In general, traveling in passenger cars is very uncomfortable. Buses are more comfortable, which is why I often use the club bus.
At the same time, my height helps with household chores. When something needs to be hung or taken from the top shelves, my mother immediately calls me (laughs).
– With such height, why volleyball and not basketball? And how did you end up at Ganjlar? They say your family was initially against it…
– I have loved volleyball since childhood. We often played in the yard, and also when we went to the regions. I was never interested in basketball. As for Ganjlar, it happened completely by chance. As they say, I was in the right place at the right time. I was playing at amateur level for Serhedchi. Then Azerrail coach Iftikhar saw me and invited me to the team. Later, I was noticed by Jahangir Seyed-Abbasi, the head coach of the youth national team and the Ganjlar club. After watching me play, he immediately invited me both to the national team and the club.
At home, especially my father was strongly against it. He wanted me to focus on my studies and even rejected Jahangir’s initial proposal when he came to our house. At Serhedchi, we trained three times a week, but with Jahangir we had to train twice a day, six days a week, spending all our time with the team.
– How did you convince your father?
– He was invited to the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation for a meeting with AVF president Shahin Bagirov. After that conversation, he agreed.
– How did you manage school? Studying with two training sessions a day is almost impossible…
– I am very grateful to my teachers. They treat me well. I used to be a good student, and now they are understanding. They say I am lazy, but that is just my nature, I like doing everything calmly (laughs). To keep up with the program, I study with tutors.
– To keep up with your teammates and stay in shape at 211 cm, special nutrition is needed. How much do you weigh and how do you eat?
– I currently weigh 115 kilograms. Before, it was 120. I lost weight because I started training more actively in the gym. I need to build muscle mass, so instead of fatty foods I focus more on protein-rich meals such as chicken and rice. From fruits, I prefer bananas and feijoa. The club feeds us very well and pays great attention to this. I have a special diet to help me gain muscle mass.
– You eat well, train regularly in the gym, but for some reason you still cannot win matches in the championship…
– Because we play against adults. Our oldest player is only 18. Yes, we lose, but we fight in every match. We never go onto the court thinking, “We will lose again.” Jahangir instills a winner’s mentality in us. He always motivates and supports us. After defeats, we never lose spirit and prepare for new battles. Sometimes we even win sets. For example, we lost 1:3 to Ordu and 1:3 to Murov. Moreover, other teams do not feel comfortable playing against us either. They know we will not give up easily.
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