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Laman Ismayilova

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The Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov has met with the athletes and coaches of the Azerbaijani national team who participated in the 17th Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, France, Azernews reports.

During the gathering at the Azerbaijan Sports Academy, the minister congratulated the athletes on their impressive achievements.

Faris Gayibov noted the pride that the people of Azerbaijan feel for their Paralympians and expressed optimism that their accomplishments will promote greater involvement of individuals with disabilities in sports.

A video showcasing highlights from the medal-winning performances of Azerbaijani Paralympians was also shown at the meeting.

Following this, Deputy Minister Mariana Vasileva, President of National Paralympic Committee Hidayat Abdullayev, and Vice-President of the Committee Fuad Hajiyev, who is also the Rector of the Azerbaijan Sports Academy, delivered remarks congratulating the national team on its results and wishing them continued success in future Paralympic Games.

The event also featured a friendly dialogue with the athletes. It was outlined that both the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva have consistently provided support to the country's Paralympians, which has greatly contributed to the team's successful performance in Paris.

The Azerbaijani team, comprising 18 members, achieved remarkable success, winning a total of 11 medals: 4 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze. Among the competing athletes were Imamaddin Khalilov and Sabir Zeynalov (both in parataekwondo), Said Najafzade, Lamiya Valiyeva, and Orkhan Aslanov (all in paraathletics), as well as Ilham Zakiyev, Dursadaf Karimova, and Khatira Ismiyeva (all in parajudo), along with Veli Israfilov and Konul Suleymanova (both in paraswimming), and Kamran Zeynalov ( parashooting)

They shared their experiences and impressions, expressing their commitment to achieving even greater success at the XVIII Summer Paralympic Games scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028.

The Azerbaijani team has successfully represented the country at 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games, earning a total of 11 medals, including 4 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze.

This impressive performance propelled them to the 28th place overall in the overall standings.

In athletics, Azerbaijani athletes won 3 gold and 1 silver medals, while in swimming, they secured 1 silver and 3 bronze medals. Judo and taekwondo also saw Azerbaijani athletes claiming bronze medals.

Para-athlete Lamiya Valiyeva won gold and silver medals in the 100 and 400 m races.

Orkhan Aslanov, a two-time Paralympic champion in the long jump, continued his impressive form, while swimmer Roman Saleh added three more medals to his collection, bringing his total to 7 Paralympic medals.

Ilham Zakiyev, a legendary judoka who won his first gold medal in Athens-2004, added another bronze medal to his collection, while Said Najafzade improved his performance in the long jump to become the Paralympic champion. Vali Israfilov, who won gold at Tokyo 2020, settled for bronze this time around.

In taekwondo, Imadaddin Khalilov and Sabir Zeynalov made their Paralympic debuts by claiming gold and bronze medals respectively. Khalilov's gold medal was a historic first for Azerbaijan in the sport.

The Azerbaijani Paralympic team has made significant progress since the Tokyo 2020 Games, where they won 14 medals including 4 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze.

Notable athletes, including Olympic gold medalists Lamiya Valiyeva and Said Najafzade, proudly represented their country by waving its national flag during the official country parade at the closing ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games.

The Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games brought together 4,000 athletes from around the world.

The event marked the first time Paris hosted the Summer Paralympics and the second time that France has hosted the Paralympic Games, after Tignes and Albertville jointly hosted the 1992 Winter Paralympics.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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