Ramil Guliyev (and others...)

[cacique]

ok, all of y'all are getting so excited bout pickering running 10.08 (and 3 meters behind bolt) but who is this boy guliyev, who just broke national records in the 100 (10.08, non-wind aided) and 200? anyone seen him race before? any info?

[tandfman]

He ran the 60 at the World Indoors in Valencia last year and the 200 in Beijing, so I'm sure I've seen him run, but I can't truthfully say he made any impression.

[Powell]

He also won silver at the World Youth Champs in 2007, and was a finalist at the WJC in Bydgoszcz - but I also have to say I don't remember much of him from there.

[LopenUupunut]

Noted his second place at WYC two years ago. His last year was a disappointment.

Worth noting T&F is a very small sport in Azerbaijan (much more so, I'd guess, than in the US - with a population some 1/40 of the US it's a small miracle they've still produced someone like Guliyev!). Indeed, can any of you name, off the top of your head, a current Azerbaijani T&F athlete other than Guliyev?

[Powell]

Current - I guess not. But in the past they had a sprinter who finished fourth in an individual Olympic final.

[doug091463]

Noted his second place at WYC two years ago. His last year was a disappointment.

Worth noting T&F is a very small sport in Azerbaijan (much more so, I'd guess, than in the US - with a population some 1/40 of the US it's a small miracle they've still produced someone like Guliyev!). Indeed, can any of you name, off the top of your head, a current Azerbaijani T&F athlete other than Guliyev?

mara ibramova a junior distance runner who ran about 15:40-15:50 for 5k a few weeks ago.

the only reason i knew that is because i obsessively look at the tilastopaja list , and when i was looking at the 2009 junior list looking for a new star probably from kenya or ethiopia, i saw one girl mara ibramova and in the column for what country she is from the initials AZE were there and those initials are so rare. i remembered it .

[LopenUupunut]

Current - I guess not. But in the past they had a sprinter who finished fourth in an individual Olympic final.

But not, unless my memory fails really badly, representing an independent Azerbaijan. I considered saying "non-Soviet" instead of "current", since that was the actual point. I'm sure most here remember Valeriy Sereda for instance.

[The Captain]

I suspect Mare Ibrahimova and the recent 3000m record breaker Hayle Ibrahimov (7:51.68) are Ethiopians, bought with Azerbaijan's oil wealth. Looking at Tilastopaja, there are a number of athletes who ran in Baku on 29-30 May who are probable Ethiopians.
All of which leaves Guliyev looking more exceptional.

[Powell]

Current - I guess not. But in the past they had a sprinter who finished fourth in an individual Olympic final.

But not, unless my memory fails really badly, representing an independent Azerbaijan. I considered saying "non-Soviet" instead of "current", since that was the actual point. I'm sure most here remember Valeriy Sereda for instance.

Yes, of course Aleksandr Kornelyuk (this is who I was talking about) represented the Soviet Union. And, looking at his name, he must have been an ethnic Russian (or a Slav of some sort in any case).

[EPelle]

Never heard of the name Mare for a Soviet athlete. Ever. Though their surnames are consistent with husband-wife, their first names are not derived from the same culture.

[doug091463]

looked it up om tilastopaja and you are right hayle ibrahimov has a place of birth in ethiopia.

[nevetsllim]

Noted his second place at WYC two years ago. His last year was a disappointment.

Worth noting T&F is a very small sport in Azerbaijan (much more so, I'd guess, than in the US - with a population some 1/40 of the US it's a small miracle they've still produced someone like Guliyev!). Indeed, can any of you name, off the top of your head, a current Azerbaijani T&F athlete other than Guliyev?

Nope, not one.

Interestingly, I was looking at tilastopaja's profile of Nunu Abashidze (who I thought was from Azerbaijan) and according to tilastopaja, she's now Canadian?! :shock:

[gh]

Coincidentally, this from T&FN correspondent Phil Minshull this morning:

<<Back in February, Azerbaijan signed up five teenage Ethiopia runners. They are all born in 1990 or 1991 so they are also eligible for the European Athletics Junior Championships and they are making their debut for Azerbaijan this weekend.

As far as I am aware, none of them had represented Ethiopia in the past so there are no 'issues' over their changing nationality.

They are listed below with what I believe are their former Ethiopian names and the events they will be running in Sarajevo.

Men Former name
Hayle Ibrahimov (1500m, 3000m) Haile Desta Hagos
Tilahun Aliyev (5000m) Senbete Tilahum Worku

Women
Layes Abdullayeva (800m, 3000m SC) Abelav Layes Tsige
Gezashign Safarova (1500m) Gemega Gezashign Hunduma
Mare Ibrahimova (3000m, 5000m) Hurssa Mare Dibaba >>

[cacique]

abashidze sounds georgian, not azeri.

wasn't one of the champion soviet triple jumpers from AZ?

[tandfman]

Abashidze was born in Ukraine. That, of course, does not mean that her parents weren't Georgians or Azeris.