Idman.biz
Mikhail Malkin, who experienced another success as part of the Azerbaijani national team at the World Tumbling Championship, became the world champion for the third time in his career.
He spoke to Idman.Biz about the importance of the victory, the team's new goals, and his personal performance.
- What are your impressions of the second team victory at the World Championship?
- The feelings are great. We always want to maintain a high level, and we confirmed our ambitions by defending the world champion title. With this, we showed once again that we are still strong and do not relax, we maintain our level. Azerbaijan is at the top again!
- How did the final go? Was there a lot of excitement?
- Of course, each of us was excited before the final performance. This is normal in sports. Before the decisive performance, there is always some excitement before going out on the acrobatic strip. But in sports, you have to cope with such moments, the team coped with its job and won. We did not allow the Americans to overtake us, even though they were well prepared.
- The Azerbaijani tumbling team is always distinguished technically. Can we say that you have set new standards?
- When you watch the competitions from the outside, the different technique is immediately noticeable in the combinations we use. Not every athlete has such a triple somersault in their repertoire. Therefore, many foreign gymnasts look at us, try to master this technique, reach the same level, and even sometimes ask for advice. We also help them.
- It didn't work out in the individual performance. Did this disappoint you?
- Of course, there is some regret. I would like to add an individual victory to the team victory this time, as it was at the World Championship in Birmingham two years ago. But for some reason it didn't work out. I don't know the reason yet. But this is sport, we will work on the mistakes and I believe that everything will be fine in the next competitions.
- In your opinion, how much has the level of world tumbling increased, considering that the World Championship is held every two years?
- No, it is held every year, except for the Olympic year. But the current World Championship is the first after 2023, so it is correct to say so. In general, the balance of power in world tumbling has not changed, athletes are simply increasing the pace and working on the difficulty of movements.
- How was the season in general for you? Are you satisfied with the results?
- I had an injury, so I missed several races. Then I experienced a period called "mental block" and could not participate in several more tournaments. Therefore, the World Championship was my first start. I was able to show something, but in some moments I could not perform at full strength. Now the preparation stage for the new season is ahead.
- What are your plans for the future?
- The next race will be in February. It is the World Cup and it will be held at home. A few months later, the European Championship will be held in Portugal. As you know, we are also European champions as a team, so we will focus our main preparation on this competition.
Zaki Feyzullayev
