Zohra Aghamirova and Veronika Khudis: being at home helps you at tournament

Azerbaijani fans give us tremendous support, Azerbaijani gymnasts Zohra Aghamirova and Veronika Khudis said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza after the qualification round with hoop and ball routines at the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Baku.

"Being at home helps us at the tournament very much, the more especially as the support is great here," Zohra Aghamirova said.

"We are extremely grateful for this support. The audience makes our work easier, because we feel their support and it helps us to perform," Veronika Khudis agreed with Zohra.

Zohra Aghamirova stressed that there is no rivalry between Azerbaijani gymnasts, they always support each other. "We want to defeat ourselves first, and then the others," she explained.  

Veronika Khudis, in turn, admitted that she's always worried about Zohra. "We exercise on the same mat. Even when there's training, I turn away because I worry about her - 'Come on, catch it!' - and then turn around, see that she caught and think 'Thank God!' This is friendly support; that's how it works," the gymnast explained.

Baku is hosting the 35th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena. Athletes from 35 countries are taking part in the championships. During the four-day championships, senior female gymnasts will perform in the individual program, while junior gymnasts will participate in the group exercise program. In total, the gymnasts will compete for 8 medal sets.