Mariana Vasileva: “I am happy that the whole country is exultant today”

 

Mariana Vasileva: “I am happy that the whole country is exultant today”Interview by Vestnik KavkazaThe European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships came to an end in Baku. The head coach of the  Azerbaijan national team, Mariana Vasileva, summed up the results of the tournament for Vestnik Kavkaza and spoke about the European Games which are due to take place in Baku in 2015.-          Of course, everybody is happy when it goes right. Everybody congratulates us, it means they are satisfied with our performance. Medals are not the most important thing. But competitions require them, and it encourages us to work harder. Even if we won no medals, I would be glad with our performance, as my gymnasts show progress day by day and tournament by tournament. They are stepping onto the next level. But the current result is a joy for me. I am happy that the whole country is exultant over it.-          What was your favorite part of the composition?-          I am satisfied with all the gymnasts. First of all, our team is very young. Our two juniors – Zuleikha Ismailova and Zhalya Piriyeva – took medals in the team event for the first time. Moreover, it was the first time that our team took a medal in the group ribbons-and-balls event. But I am satisfied with all the performances. I would like to point out Marina Durunda’s performance, even though she took sixth place. All the experts pointed out her growth, development and prospects. Gulsum Shafizade made her debut at the tournament. She was the youngest participant among the top-20 gymnasts. She is only 15, while the gymnast from Spain is 27. You can see the difference in experience between the two gymnasts. She performed well yesterday. I was glad that she showed a good result, even though she had to perform twice at the ribbon event, as the first time the music suddenly stopped. This is the Azerbaijani spirit – to fight till the end and never give up.-          What are your plans for the future?-          We continue to work. Everybody will rest for a week and then we will start preparing for the World Championship from scratch. In 2015 we will host the first European Games. We always try to be first, so we do good job. We will prepare for them very hard, as the championship was qualification for the group team. Only the first 12 teams can participate in the European Games. And we did it, just like we had to do. We will hope for a better result in the future.

Interview by Vestnik Kavkaza

The European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships came to an end in Baku. The head coach of the  Azerbaijan national team, Mariana Vasileva, summed up the results of the tournament for Vestnik Kavkaza and spoke about the European Games which are due to take place in Baku in 2015.

-          Of course, everybody is happy when it goes right. Everybody congratulates us, it means they are satisfied with our performance. Medals are not the most important thing. But competitions require them, and it encourages us to work harder. Even if we won no medals, I would be glad with our performance, as my gymnasts show progress day by day and tournament by tournament. They are stepping onto the next level. But the current result is a joy for me. I am happy that the whole country is exultant over it.

-          What was your favorite part of the composition?

-          I am satisfied with all the gymnasts. First of all, our team is very young. Our two juniors – Zuleikha Ismailova and Zhalya Piriyeva – took medals in the team event for the first time. Moreover, it was the first time that our team took a medal in the group ribbons-and-balls event. But I am satisfied with all the performances. I would like to point out Marina Durunda’s performance, even though she took sixth place. All the experts pointed out her growth, development and prospects. Gulsum Shafizade made her debut at the tournament. She was the youngest participant among the top-20 gymnasts. She is only 15, while the gymnast from Spain is 27. You can see the difference in experience between the two gymnasts. She performed well yesterday. I was glad that she showed a good result, even though she had to perform twice at the ribbon event, as the first time the music suddenly stopped. This is the Azerbaijani spirit – to fight till the end and never give up.

-          What are your plans for the future?

-          We continue to work. Everybody will rest for a week and then we will start preparing for the World Championship from scratch. In 2015 we will host the first European Games. We always try to be first, so we do good job. We will prepare for them very hard, as the championship was qualification for the group team. Only the first 12 teams can participate in the European Games. And we did it, just like we had to do. We will hope for a better result in the future.