A 20-year old gymnast is two-time Azerbaijan All-around Champion and repeated prize-winner of international tournaments. He is the only sportsman representing Azerbaijan at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships (Rotterdam, October 16-24, 2010).

It is the second year in a row, since he is taking part in the training camp in Stuttgart led by the Olympic Champion of Barcelona-92, a famous Azerbaijani gymnast Valery Belenky, who coaches German sportsmen at present.

Shakir is in the hall from the early morning: the day begins with physical training under supervision of a highly experienced Anatoly Yarmovsky. Then, he passes on to apparatus – pommel horse, rings and vault in the morning training, and, parallel and horizontal bars and floor exercises in the evening.

Shakir is set a task – to be qualified and take part in the Olympic Games-2012 in London. “Certainly, any sportsman aims to participate in the Olympiad. I hope very much that at the World Championships-2011 in Japan, I will demonstrate successful performance and will be qualified for the Games,” the gymnast says.

As to the plans for the present World Championships, Shakir’s coaches assume that he will be included into the list of first thirty gymnasts in the all-around and will reach the final on the vault.