Imash Gulizada: My main goal is to become European champion
Baku, March 19, AZERTAC
The annual European Bodybuilding Championships will be held in the city of Santa Susanna, Spain. The headquarters of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness is located in Santa Susanna, and this city usually hosts the European competitions. The championships, which is scheduled for May 6, is expected to bring together nearly 2,000-3,000 athletes from across the continent. Azerbaijan`s hopes will be pinned on 15 athletes, men's physique champion of Azerbaijan, silver medalist of the Azerbaijan Cup Imash Gulizada told AZERTAC.
Imash Gulizada noted that this kind of sports is more developed in Europe and the championships will feature intense competition. “The European Championships will be organized in different categories. The tournament will bring together strongest athletes of Europe. A large number of female athletes are also expected to compete at the competition. Azerbaijan will be represented in classic bodybuilding and men's physique competitions.”
Underlining that the International Federation postponed all competitions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Imash Gulizada said that the date of the championships will be announced soon. “Nevertheless, my preparation for the championships is at a high level.”
“After my successful performance at the Diamond Cup, which was held in Rome, Italy, at the end of last year, I took a rest. This relaxation was necessary, because my muscles were overloaded and I went abroad. Earlier, at the meeting with athletes, President of the Azerbaijan Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Rauf Bunyataliyev said that we will compete in the European Championships. I must confess that my main goal is to become a European champion. After the competition in Rome, my self-confidence increased. I won a silver medal in the Diamond Cup thanks to the referees` opinions. Because I had the same points with the winner. But after the competition, experts highly assessed my performance,” Imash Gulizada added.
The Azerbaijani champion noted that his workouts are underway in line with the program. “Less than 2 months are left for the competition. Within two months I will enter the drying out period. The preparations for the race have been easy so far. After a while I will go through the difficult stages of preparation. The Diamond Cup was a great experience for me. I currently apply the experience I have gained there. I spent the first part of preparations for this competition in Baku and the other part in Kyiv. My personal trainer, four-time world champion Dmytro Horobets prepared me for the race in Kyiv. I get his advice in preparations for the European Championship too. But I want to prepare for this competition by myself in Baku. I also prepared by myself when I became the country champion in 2019.”
“At least 30 athletes are participating in each category of the European Championship. Even becoming the medalist of the European Championship is regarded as a victory. It is very difficult to get into the top 6 in the race. However, my target is to be the European champion. Apart from the rehearsals and preparations, I rely on my body shape.”
Imash Gulizada emphasized that this year he would face serious tests. “So, after the European Championship I will take part in the international Grand Prix on May 31 in Baku. I want to attend the Miami Grand Prix in July. I will play to my strength at the Arnold Classic. And by the end of the year, I plan to end a sporting career.”
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