Idman.biz
"It is impossible to repeat Valentina Popova's success (European champion of 1984 - author) today. Not only we, but the entire Soviet Union worked on her development. We do not have such global opportunities."
These words were said by Farhad Ismayilov, the head coach of the Azerbaijani national table tennis team, in his statement to Idman.biz.
According to him, three table tennis players will represent our country at the CIS Games, which will be held in Azerbaijan from September 28 to October 8, 2025 - Marziyya Nurmatova, Yagmur Mammadli and Aylin Asgarova.
"Marziyya and Yagmur will compete in individual competitions. Marziyya was born in 2008, and Yagmur in 2011. Yagmur will also compete in the doubles competition with her peer Aylin," the head coach added.
Evaluating the chances of the athletes, Ismayilov emphasized that they are fully ready to fight for medals:
"Yes, these girls have not yet won European championships. But in 2023, Marziyya, and in 2024, Yagmur were among the top eight in Europe in their age groups. I can't say for sure whether our girls will win a gold medal, but they are contenders in this way."
Idman.biz
