Gold medalist of Rio Paralympics reveals what inspired her to win

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TARAZ. KAZINFORM - Gold medalist of the Rio Paralympics Zulfiya Gabidullina has been cordially greeted by her daughter, friends and fans at the Auliye-Ata Airport in Taraz city today.

The crowd of fans, local sports officials, representatives of mass media stood outside the VIP lounge of the airport to welcome Zulfiya who came home from Astana city.

Akim (governor) of Zhambyl region Karim Kokrekbayev also was among those who greeted the first Paralympic champion in the history of independent Kazakhstan.

"This is your victory! You earned this huge victory for Kazakhstan and Zhambyl region! We all have been waiting for it. You have proved one can achieve a lot through hard labor. You have lifted Kazakhstan and Zhambyl region to a new level," governor Kokrekbayev said.

Zulfiya Gabidullina was moved to tears by the warm words of welcome: "I would like to thank all of you for this warm welcome. I am happy to see all of you on my homeland. I see a lot of familiar faces, my brother and daughter. All these months in Rio de Janeiro during the Paralympic Games and Colorado where I was training I have missed you, my homeland and our cuisine so much. I would like to thank everybody for support. A huge thank you to akimat. I would also like to thank my coach for having faith in me and leading me to this victory. I want to thank all my friends and family. Be sporty, be happy, and never give up. You can do it!

In conclusion, Zulfiya Gabidullina promised to train hard to participate in the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.

Recall that Rio de Janeiro hosted the 15th Summer Paralympic Games on September 7-18 which brought together 4,350 parathletes from 176 countries. 528 sets of medals were up for grabs in 22 sports.

Para-swimmer Zulfiya Gabidullina from Zhambyl region won gold in Women's 100m freestyle race. She was 4th in Women's 50m freestyle race.

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