"This was the 6th Paralympic Games I participated in."
Ilham Zakiyev, Para taekwondo player of the Azerbaijan national team, who participated in the Paris-2024 Summer Paralympic Games, told Idman.biz.
Zakiyev, who won a bronze medal in the J1 category at 90+ kg, expressed his impressions about the competition: "This time, I couldn't prepare for the competition as I had hoped due to treatments for injuries to my wrist and elbow. Despite these challenges, I decided to test my strength once again at the Paralympics. My first match was against a French athlete, but unfortunately, biased refereeing favored my opponent, and I injured my toe during the match. Even with the injury, I pushed through and competed in the remaining matches. Today, I am proud to be returning to my homeland with a medal, grateful for the opportunity to represent and succeed despite the obstacles I faced."
According to him, the organization of the competition was not encouraging at all: "The Paralympic competition in Paris was the toughest I've participated in so far. Despite the challenges, we succeeded in raising our flag high in France. Our athletes proudly sang our national anthem multiple times, filling us with immense pride and joy. We return to our homeland Azerbaijan with clear conscience."
Azerbaijan was represented in the tournament by 18 athletes in 7 sports and finished the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games with 11 medals (4 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze).
Banuchichek Huseynli
Idman.biz
