National swimmer wins silver medal at Islamic Solidarity Games

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani swimmer Maryam Sheyxalilzada has won a silver medal at the 5th lslamic Solidarity Games, Azernews reports. She swam butterfly at a distance of 50 meters in the finals.

Maryam Sheyxalilzada is a member of the Azerbaijan Swimming team and represented Azerbaijan at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

She took several valuable places in women's swimming after the world competitions.

The swimmer won the third place in the freestyle competitions in Slovakia three times within a year.

In total, the national team has already won 58 medals including 18 gold, 22 silver, and 18 bronze.

The gold medals were won by wrestlers Anna Skidan, Mariya Stadnik, Haji Aliyev, Turan Bayramov, Leyla Gurbanova, Rafig Huseynov, Eldaniz Azizli and taekwondo fighter Farida Azizova.

Athlete Alexis Copello, gymnast Ivan Tikhonov, swimmer Maryam Sheikhalizade wrestlers Abubakr Abakarov, Alyona Kolesnik, Ulvu Ganizade, Islam Bazargano, Elis Manolova and sabre fencer Polina Kaspiarovich won silver medals for Azerbaijan.

Taekwondo fighters Patimat Abakarova, Gasim Mahammadov, and wrestlers Aliabbas Rzazada, Hajimurad Omarov, Tatiyana Omelchenko, Asgar Mammadaliyev, Elnura Mammadova, weightlifter Nazila Ismayilova and archers Jahan Musayev, Ali Nabiyev, and Azada Adbullayeva won bronze medals.

Thus, Azerbaijan ranks fourth among 56 participants. Turkiye, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan are in the top five.

A total of 281 athletes are representing Azerbaijan at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games to run until August 18.

In March, the Organizing Committee announced the final program of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, which consists of 22 disciplines from 19 sports including 4 para-sports.

The organizers choose to remove six sports: water polo, diving, field hockey, tennis, wushu, and zurkhaneh. At their place, they choose to add archery, boccia, fencing, and kickboxing.

At the paralympic events, para powerlifting and blind judo were replaced by para table tennis and para archery.

Along these events, archery included four extra events with the Traditional Turkish Archery discipline.

Notably, the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games took place in Baku in 2017. All 56 members of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation are participating in the Games.

Four disciplines from 21 sports were contested in the previous edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games.