Our athletes who performed successfully at the U-15 and Youth European Championships held in Spain have returned home.
Idman.biz, citing the Azerbaijan Weightlifting Federation, reports that the members of the team were welcomed with a ceremony at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
The event was attended by members of the sports community as well as media representatives. The head coach of the national team, Makhti Makkaev, as well as the European Championship winners and medalists, answered journalists' questions at the airport.
Musab Mammadtaghiyev, the European champion, stated that it was a successful competition for him: "I went to Spain with the goal of winning a gold medal and I am happy I achieved that. First of all, I would like to thank the federation leadership and our coaches. Thanks to their trust and hard work, we reached our goal. More intense competitions await us ahead. Our goal remains the same, to raise our flag at every event we participate in.”
European silver medalist Latif Aliyev emphasized that there are no weak opponents at the European Championships:
“All the athletes are at least the best in their countries. So the competition was intense. Every member of our team contributed to this success. Although it’s an individual sport, no one can achieve such results alone. I’m happy we lived up to the trust placed in us.”
European silver medalist Muhammadali Mammadzada also shared his thoughts on the competition: “I competed on the final day. My goal was to increase our medal count. I’m happy to be standing here with a medal. Every athlete dreams of bringing home a medal from the Olympic Games. I understand that we need to work very hard to achieve that. But everything depends on us, with dedication and effort, nothing is impossible.”
The head coach of the national team, Makhti Makkaev, expressed his gratitude to the federation president Kamran Nabizade and vice-president Firdovsi Umudov for their comprehensive support: “The leadership provided everything necessary for our preparation for the European Championships. Our training camp was conducted as planned. Of course, we need to work even harder. There is strong competition in every weight category. The return of Russian athletes to competitions has further intensified this rivalry. In this context, finishing third in the team standings is a successful result. Once again, I congratulate all our athletes, coaches, and administrative staff.”
Our athletes won a total of 7 medals at the European Championships and placed third in the team standings.
Idman.biz
