Azerbaijani athlete reaches final in Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijani gymnast Marina Durunda has reached the final in exercises with the ribbon on the second day of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships underway in Kiev.
According to the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Durunda gained 17.5 points in the final, which allowed her to share the fifth place with Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun.
The Federation said that at the same time Durunda ranks 9th in multisport qualification, while another Azerbaijani athlete, Lala Yusifova, ranks 17th. Both gymnasts made their way through among the 24 strongest athletes, who will vie in the final round on August 30.
Durunda thus achieved her first significant success at the World Championships. In the exercise with the ribbon she reached the final and managed to succeed while competing with more experienced rivals, ranking fifth.
Durunda said she could not even dream of such a performance, not to mention that she will compete in the final.
"You can see yourself how high the level of competition is here, and I am pleased to know that this championship is successful for me. But, of course, I would not have been able to achieve all of this without the head coach Mariana Vasileva, who invested a lot in me. And certainly I rejoiced when I learned that I am in the final. Moreover, the ribbon exercise was the last attempt to storm into the top eight in the individual competition. I love this exercise!"
In the final Durunda and Yusifova will face strong competitors again. The gymnasts hope that they will further improve the results achieved in the qualifying leg.
"It was nice to hear the chants of Azerbaijani fans, which could be heard from every corner of the arena. It was very pleasant to perform in such an atmosphere," Durunda said.
The 2013 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships are being held at the Palace of Sports in Kiev, Ukraine, from August 28 to September 1.