Note from the city councilors, Antonello Talerico, Francesco Antonio Assisi, Antonio Barberio, Manuela Costanzo, Rosario Lostumbo, Giulia Procopi and Francesco Scarpino.
A great feat was accomplished in recent days at Rimini Wellness, an international event dedicated to the world of wellness.
Zahir Khudayarov, already world record holder for squats, surpassed himself by lifting 500 kilograms.
The result achieved by the Azerbaijani athlete takes on great importance for our community, given that he trained in Catanzaro, choosing an all-Calabrian team to prepare for the race and relying on the Catanzaro manager Manuela Marano who took care of every organizational detail. However, since it is an exhibition, and not an official competition, the entire staff composed of Giuseppe Lomanno, Emmanuel Grimaldi, Domenico Fosso, Cesare Gemelli, Maria Rita Riga, Manuel Aquila and Dr. Nicola Soldà is waiting for the Powerlifting federation to validate the extraordinary result.
As city administrators we therefore feel the duty to congratulate this athlete and his team, taking the opportunity to tell a beautiful story of integration and hospitality.
Zahir was born in Azerbaijan where he lived in a time of war and economic hardship, training hard without even being able to feed himself every day, as his government offers no support to destitute athletes. Zahir worked at night, unloading fruit and vegetables, to be able to afford training and, after his first sporting successes, he moved to Finland where he started his family and opened a gym.
In 2018 Manuela Marano invited the champion to come to Calabria, where together they organized and participated in numerous events alongside international names from the world of body building. Since 2022, Zahir, due to serious family problems, has lived in our city where he found hospitality and the support of excellent professionals so much so that, despite multiple adversities, he continued to train and break records, becoming a global icon of Powerlifting.
Now the Hercules of Azerbaijan dreams of being able to settle permanently in Catanzaro which he feels is his home and, in the meantime, we will ask the mayor Nicola Fiorita to invite him to the town hall together with his entire team to receive the well-deserved institutional honours.
