On May 22, a press conference was held at the National Gymnastics Arena with the participation of members of the Azerbaijani Rhythmic gymnastics team who achieved a historic success at the 39th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships held in our country.

The press conference was attended by the team’s coaches Siyana Vasileva, Yevgeniya Vilyayeva, Kamil Guliyev; Gold medalists in the 3 Ribbons and 2 Balls exercise and Bronze medalists in the All-around program - Gullu Aghalarzade, Laman Alimuradova, Kamilla Aliyeva, Zeynab Hummatova, Yelizaveta Luzan, Darya Sorokina; and bronze medalist in the Ball exercise - Zohra Aghamirova.

Team coach Siyana Vasileva noted that the gymnasts stood out in the qualification rounds across different apparatuses in both junior and senior categories. “The championship was successful for us. It’s always difficult to perform in your home arena. I don't think about competitors — I just focus on my work. There was excitement, and we wanted to achieve the maximum result. We are happy to have achieved a historic result. We will continue our preparations, there’s no time to rest. The World Cup events are ahead. Our biggest goal is to perform successfully at the World Championships in Valencia, Spain, in August, which is a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. I hope our team can secure an Olympic license.”

Coach-choreographer Kamil Guliyev emphasized the importance of artistry along with technical difficulty during the team’s preparations: “If we look closely, we can see that our team scored high in artistry. This year’s routine is more difficult than last year’s. As a result, our team became European champions and earned a Bronze in the All-around. I hope our girls will perform even better at the World Championships.”

Commenting on Zohra Aghamirova’s performance, coach Yevgeniya Vilyayeva said: “I’m very pleased with Zohra. She performed exceptionally well. We’ve been working towards this success for six years. I must admit, I couldn’t hold back my tears of joy when I saw the ball routine scores on the screen.”

Zohra Aghamirova, who won bronze in the ball routine at the continental championship, stated that her goal was to complete her exercises without errors: “I prepared very seriously for the European Championship. I tried my best and I’m happy that I won a medal. I would like to express my gratitude to the President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, for congratulating me and the group team. Her congratulations mean a lot to us.”

Group team member Zeynab Hummatova noted that the gymnasts always support each other: “If one of us is in a bad mood, it affects the others. That’s why we always try to stay positive, and this reflects in our performance.”

Teammate Gullu Aghalarzade said they always try to maintain a good mood: “Everyone on the team knows each other very well. We gave our best during the European Championship and will continue to strive for even better. Our responsibility has grown,” she added.