The eventful days of the XXXII Summer Olympics have decorated the history of the Turkmen sports. The historic moment when the Flag of Turkmenistan was raised in the Land of the Rising Sun to mark the Olympic medal of our athlete has made all our compatriots happy. July 27, 2021 went down in the history the Turkmen sports as one of the most important dates. The same day, Polina Guryeva, a 21-year-old student of the Olympic Sports Department at Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports, an athlete of the Higher Sports Skills School of Turkmenistan, won a silver medal at the XXXII Summer Olympic Games for the national team of our Motherland. After this historic event, we held an online interview with the athlete who updated her personal record, having lifted 217 kilogrammes in total in the weightlifting competition, and won the Olympic medal for our country.
– Polina, first, we congratulate you on the Olympic medal, which is the most cherished dream of all athletes!
– Thank you for congratulations!
– What was your first impression at the Tokyo Olympics?
– When we arrived at the Olympic Village, I had unspeakable feelings. I have realized that sport is the ambassador of peace and friendship between peoples. It is very exciting to be with athletes from different countries, especially well-known persons, and to compete with them.
– How did you prepare for the Olympics?
– When I started with this sport, I set an ultimate goal, which was to win an Olympic medal for our country. With this goal, I had been preparing for the Olympics both physically and mentally. The saying by the President of Turkmenistan, ‘Forward, forward, only forward’ helped me to hold intensive training sessions and to achieve the best physical and mental conditions.
– How did you feel after the cherished and fabulous victory?
– It is difficult to control emotions. At that moment, I broke into tears of joy. I felt pride in our country, and when our national flag was raised, I was full of love for our peaceful Motherland, gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan and respect for all people who helped me achieve that success, and other wonderful feelings. These feelings are indescribable. I wish every Turkmen athlete to experience such feelings.
– Can you describe your dreams and future goals at the moment?
– At the moment, I wish the Turkmen athletes to perform successfully and to highly raise the national flag of Turkmenistan. Later on, as the saying goes, ‘East or West – home is best’, I want to come back to our Motherland with the cherished medal as a response to the trust of our people and of the Turkmen leader, who makes great efforts and creates excellent opportunities for the athletes, and to delight our compatriots. Thus, I am happy to celebrate the glorious 30th anniversary of independence with a magnificent gift – the silver medal of the Olympic Games.
– Polina, thank you for the online interview from the Land of the Rising Sun! Congratulations on your victory once again! We wish you great success!
– Thank you! We would like to thank all our compatriots for their support. At this point, we express sincere gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan for the excellent opportunities created for athletes. We wish the Turkmen leader a sound health, long life and success for the benefit of our Motherland!
By Ayna CHARYEVA,
a specialist at the Educational Department, Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports.
