19-year-old Akim Mussayev is one of Kazakhstan’s rising stars who has been challenging Milad Karimi for the title of the best all-arounder on the team. In the past couple of months, Mussayev finished first at the Spartakiade and then second (to Karimi) at Kazakhstan’s Cup. Kazakhstan’s MAG took 16th place at the past World Championships and is hoping to place higher this year. Asian Championships in June will be the first test for the team.
Mussayev told Olympic.kz that the team is currently preparing for Universiade and Worlds in addition to Asian Championships:
“Of course, it’s nice to win such a significant competition as Spartakiade. Currently, we as a team are preparing for the Asian Championships which will take place in Mongolia. Before that, my biggest competitions were World Cups, Asian Games, and World Championships. I won silver at the World Cup in Croatia. But all our attention is focused on future competitions, not the past ones.”
“I can say that I’m confident in my abilities. My preparation was at a good level. I think we have all the chances to medal in the team competition. Of course, I will also strive to make the top 3 in the all-around competitions. In addition, this year’s important competitions are Universiade in Italy and the World Championships in Germany. Our coaches set serious goals for us and our whole team becomes more and more experienced every year. I think it will play the role [in the competition].”
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