The head coach of the Azerbaijani national swimming team, Rashad Aliyev, believes the team could have achieved better results at the 32nd Annual Grand Prix Ostrava held in the Czech Republic.
Idman.biz reports, citing Report, that Aliyev evaluated the outcomes of the event, which also served as a qualifier for the World Championship:
“The number of medals we won at the Grand Prix in the Czech Republic could have been higher.”
Nine athletes and three coaches represented Azerbaijan at the competition, which featured over 350 athletes from five countries – including the Czech Republic, France, Slovenia, and Poland.
Azerbaijan secured a total of 17 medals: 2 gold, 8 silver, and 7 bronze.
Suleyman Ismayilzada was recognized as the second-best swimmer of the tournament with 804 points, while Ogtay Huseynov came in third with 798 points.
Despite the success, the coach expressed mixed feelings:
“We are not entirely satisfied with the results. Some athletes did not meet expectations, and we believe we could have done better.”
Looking ahead, the team’s next target is the U23 European Championships in Slovakia, where Ramil Valizada, Abdurrahman Rustamov, Rashad Aghaguliyev, and Fatima Alkaramova will compete.
Later in July, the European Youth Championships, also in Slovakia, will feature Süleyman Ismayilzada and Ogtay Huseynov. Suleyman has already earned a World Championship license for the 400m and 1500m freestyle events.
The World Championships are scheduled for late July to early August in Singapore.
Idman.biz
