top
Zulfugar Suleymanov: I cleared the black stain from both my name and my surname - INTERVIEW Idman.biz
08 May 2025, 17:25
- +

Zulfugar Suleymanov: "I cleared the black stain from both my name and my surname" - INTERVIEW

Interview with Zulfugar Suleymanov (M40, 67 kg), a veteran weightlifter from Azerbaijan, for Idman.biz

- You won a gold medal at the European Masters Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania. How does it feel to experience such joy in the same country after a twelve-year break?

- It's an incredible feeling. Twelve years ago, I was third at the European Championships among adults in Tirana. After so much time, I can't describe in words how it feels to represent our country again in Albania, and on top of that, to experience the joy of winning the championship. I even teared up when our anthem played. It's wonderful to return to sports after so long with such a result.

- How do you evaluate the championship in general?

- It was a very large competition in terms of scale, with over 1000 participants. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this result from myself. I did here what I couldn't do during training in Baku, and I also broke the European record. This was my dream. I wrote the name of Azerbaijan there. This will never be erased from history, because since the weight categories will be updated from the first of next month, no one will be able to break the record in this category. The competition went well for our team as well. We will return to the homeland with a total of four medals, including two gold and two silver.

- You were disqualified for doping twelve years ago. How did you decide to return to sports after so much time?

- When talking with our athlete friends, they always said that you need to make some kind of comeback to have a new beginning. As you know, I was penalized and removed from sports many years ago. I fought for a long time, I couldn't come to terms with it. I have applied to international courts many times, and finally, in March of last year, they canceled the life sentence. I stayed away from sports for twelve years. At that time, there were certain problems between our federation and the international federation. During that period, they doped about thirty of our athletes. It is clear that this is biased. Some were not interested in fighting, but I fought to the end.

- When did you start preparing for the championship?

- I started training in November of last year. So, we were sitting with friends on my birthday. During the conversation, friends made such a proposal. I decided to check it out. The main thing is that our efforts were not wasted.

- What have you been doing during this time?

- I worked as an inspector at Azerbaijan Airlines. Since I was penalized, I could not engage in sports activities.

- What do you plan to do next?

- I want to contribute to Azerbaijani sports as a coach.

- Twelve years away from sports. It probably wasn't easy for you.

- It was very bad, very bad. It was a black mark on both my name and my family's name. You know, we are the biggest sports family in Azerbaijan. We are nine brothers, five of whom are prize-winners and winners of world and European championships. No one in our family has ever been caught doping. With my victory in Durres, I proved once again that we have earned whatever we have by our own strength. I cleared this black stain from both my name and my surname.

Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz

Qarabağ FK

Latest news

Football
Today, 15:25

Farid Nabiyev did not trade his career for money: He signed a contract with "Kapaz"

Football
Today, 15:17

Dortmund "Borussia" wants to transfer "Arsenal" midfielder Leandro Trossard

Football
Today, 15:11

"Turan Tovuz" Negotiates with Ibrahima Wadji

Football
Today, 15:00

"Real" Loans 21-year-old Mario Martin to "Getafe"

Football
Today, 14:56

Arif Asadov: If "Sabah" takes "Petrocub" seriously, they can win in Masazir as well

Football
Today, 14:41

Suleyman Ahmadov Explains His Choice of "Karvan-Yevlakh" and the Role of Fans: Interview

Football
Today, 14:40

Samuel Lino moved from Atletico to Flamengo

Football
Today, 14:26

"Sunderland" signs Granit Xhaka

Football
Today, 14:26

Croatian expert believes "Hajduk" will advance to the next stage

Football
Today, 14:20

Souleymane Allouch leaves "Sabail" and moves to Moroccan club

Football
Today, 14:10

Defender of "Araz-Nakhchivan": "We don't have a big advantage, we shouldn't protect the score, we should continue our game"

Football
Today, 14:00

Arif Asadov comments on Sabah's away victory against Petrocub

Football
Today, 13:55

Elchin Masiyev appointed to UEFA Super Cup match

Football
Today, 13:53

Elchin Masiyev will officiate at the UEFA Super Cup

Boxing
Today, 13:48

Oleksandr Usyk leads the P4P ranking according to "The Ring" magazine

Football
Today, 13:42

"Imishli" and "Karvan" will face each other in a test match today

Football
Today, 13:40

Xavi only wants to coach Barcelona in Spain

Football
Today, 13:37

"Chelsea" Agreed Personal Terms with Xavi Simons

Football
Today, 13:32

"Bavaria" Transfers Luis Diaz

Football
Today, 13:25

"Araz-Nakhchivan's" opponent "Aris" says goodbye to goalkeeper

Football
Today, 13:20

"Chelsea" to offer 80 million euros for Xavi Simons

Football
Today, 13:16

Orkhan Aliyev Reveals Reasons for Leaving "Turan Tovuz" and Plans for Kyrgyz Club

Football
Today, 13:04

Summer transfers: The most expensive XI by position

Football
Today, 13:01

AFFA official Jahangir Hasanzadeh shared his thoughts before the "Qarabag" - "Shelbourne" match

Related news