Azerbaijani athlete breaks world record
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan`s Paralympics athlete won gold at the 3rd IPC European Shooting Championship held in Alicante, Spain on October 18-25.
Yelena Taranova, who broke world and European records, secured the medal after scoring 195 points in the 10 m P2 category.
Azerbaijani national team which included Yelena Taranova, Akper Muradov, Elshad Mammadov, and Kamran Zeynalov competed in shooting at a distance of 10, 25 and 50 meters.
The athletes were successful at the 50-meter range shooting, scoring 1,538 points.
The Russian team which took part at the championship scored 1,573 points, and the silver medal was claimed by the Serbian team which scored 1,563 points.
Some 170 athletes from 30 countries, including 21 medalists of the London 2012 Paralympic Games joined this major competition which was held ahead of the World Cup 2014.
Yelena Taranova, 52, is a silver medalist of 2000 Summer Paralympics and bronze medalist of 2004 Summer Paralympics, 2010 Volmerange-les-Mines and 2011 Columbus World Cup winner.
Representing Azerbaijan in 2012 Summer Paralympics, she won seventh place at the 10 m range.
Taranova is the first in World Ranking List in Women's 10 meters Air Pistol SH1 and Mixed 50 meters Free Pistol SH1 categories.
Earlier, a strategic action plan for the National Paralympic Committee for 2013-2016 was approved in Azerbaijan in order to prepare for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Paralympics.
The plan includes expanding the Paralympic movement in all the regions of the country, developing professional disability sports, expanding relations with international sports organizations, and involving disabled children in sports.
Azerbaijani athletes achieved great success at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, gaining 12 medals and ranking 27th out of 166 countries.
At the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Azerbaijan won 10 medals, ranking 37th.
Azerbaijani Paralympic athletes are currently taking part in 11 sports competitions.