Azerbaijani rowers secure three Olympic qualifications
By Amina Nazarli
The Canoe Sprint World Championship, which qualified athletes to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, was held in Milan, Italy between August 19 and 23.
Azerbaijan was represented by Inna Osipenko-Rodomska, Segey Bezugliy, Valentin Demyaneno, and Taras Matviichuk. The country secured three Rio 2016 spots.
The two Rio 2016 Olympic qualifications went to female kayaker Inna Osipenko-Rodomska. She took the fourth place in the single boat race 200 meter, securing her ticket for Rio 2016.
Reaching the finish at 41.548 seconds, the 33-year-old athlete left behind kayakers from New Zenland, Poland, and Spain.
She claimed her second ticket in the women’s 500-meter single
boat race, finishing fifth.
This is a great achievement for the Azerbaijani rowing sports, as
no single Azerbaijani has won two Olympic quotas in a competition.
Moreover, the country will be represented at the Olympics on kayak
for the first time.
Demyanenko also gained qualification for Rio 2016. The 32-year old athlete secured an Olympic ticket by taking 6th place at the men’s 200-meter single boat race.
Overall, Azerbaijan stood 25th among 86 countries with 130 points in the competition.
For the first time, Azerbaijan will compete for three medals in the canoe and kayak competitions at the Olympic. And the number of qualifications may rise as national rowers participate in the European qualifying regatta next May.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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