Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani team has taken the first place at the 16th World Aerobic Gymnastics Championships held in Baku.

The gymnasts stunned everyone with marvelous performance in the aerodance program. They enriched the country's medal haul with gold, scoring 18,400 points.

The national team included Nurjan Jabbarly, Madina Mustafayeva, Imran Imranov, Elchin Mammadov, Narmina Huseynova, Aykhan Ahmadli, Nigar Ibrahimbayli and Akif Karimli.

The gymnasts performed on May 28, celebrated in Azerbaijan as the Republic Day. The national team dedicated the medals won at the World Championship to Azerbaijan.

They expressed their gratitude to the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation for the support and conditions created for the preparation for the competition, Trend reported.

The gymnasts also recalled the 2019 European Championship, where they also won gold.

"If we compare the programs of the European Championships and the World Championships, then this year changes were made, exercises were complicated. And yet - at the competition in 2021, we performed in the status of European champions, and we had to keep this bar," the gymnasts said.

"In any competition we have entered, medals have never been our goal. Our task is to be the best, to show the high level of the program. Neither at the European Championships nor at the World Championships, my teammates and I talked about medals, the most important thing is to perform with dignity," Akif Karimli said.

The 16th World Aerobic Gymnastics Championships was held on May 27-29 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. Some 166 athletes from 22 countries took part in the competition.

The second place was went to the Russian gymnasts (18,000 points), while Hungarian gymnasts ranked third (17,800 points).

The closing ceremony of the 16th World Aerobic Gymnastics Championships was held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku on May 29.

A parade of flags of the countries participating in the World Aerobic Gymnastics Championship was held as part of the event.

Vice-President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Vasily Titov addressed the closing ceremony.

On behalf of the International Gymnastics Federation, Vasily Titov expressed hideep gratitude to the Azerbaijani state for its great support in organizing a safe and successful championship. He also congratulated all the winner and prize-winners of the world championship.

"The competition is over, tomorrow we will all return to our home. However, I am sure that all participants and guests will have the best memories of this championship, which sets new standards in organizing a successful large-scale international sporting event. All this would not have been possible without the efforts of the local organizing committee, the Aerobic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation and everyone who worked for the championship. All of you have done a great job here, I express my gratitude to you," he said.

Further, the vice-president of the International Gymnastics Federation announced the closure of the 16th World Aerobic Gymnastics Championships in Baku.

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