BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 21. It is very exciting to participate in FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) World Cup competition in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Baku, Alina Gezalova, Azerbaijani gymnast, told Trend.
"It is much easier and more comfortable to perform in native scenes, the audience warmly welcomes and supports me. During today's qualifier I made mistakes, but tomorrow I will try not to repeat them. My goal on the second day of the competition is to perform well in accordance with the program, and to put in maximum effort," she noted.
Gezalova added that after the World Cup in Azerbaijan, she will participate in the FIG World Cup 2023, which will be held in Portugal, and then in the European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics, which will be held in Baku.
The FIG World Cup competitions in Rhythmic Gymnastics will be held for three days, from April 21 through 23. During the competition, 135 gymnasts from 40 countries of the world will perform in the program of individual and group exercises.
Azerbaijan is represented in the individual program by Zohra Aghamirova and Alina Gezalova, in the group exercises program by a team consisting of Gullu Agalarzade, Laman Alimuradova, Kamilla Aliyeva, Zeynab Gummetova, Elizaveta Luzan and Darya Sorokina.
Gymnasts compete for awards in competitions in individual subjects and in the all-around.
By tradition, the AGF(Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation) Trophy will be awarded to the athlete and the group team that scored the highest score for performance.