Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov so far has gone only to two big international competitions in his career. In the first one, the 2017 Worlds, he got an element named after him. In the second one, the 2018 Melbourne World Cup, he won a gold medal. And he’s 185 cm (6″1) tall which certainly makes him stand out among other gymnasts.
Kurbanov says that he didn’t expect such success so soon even though he knew he had a good program. In Montreal, he finished in 54th place on pommel horse in qualification, so he wasn’t exactly one of the medal favorites going into the new season. With this medal, Kurbanov is now in the spotlight and there will likely be additional pressure on him to achieve high results for Kazakhstan now that Milad Karimi is out of the season.
Kurbanov talked to Sportinform.kz about winning the medal:
“It was the second international competition in my life and I was excited, nervous. I’m very happy that I won. I was overwhelmed by emotions. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Honestly, I didn’t think that I’d be able to show my result. After all, Kazakhstan hasn’t had World Cup victories in a long time. It was a surprise for everyone. I have one of the most difficult routines in the world now and in terms of execution as well. I know what I’m capable of but I didn’t think that a victory at such a big competition would come so soon. This medal means a lot to me and it’s not just mine, it belongs to the whole Kazakhstan as well”.
Kurbanov’s named element in the Code of Points:
Photo: Sportinform.kz
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