Zebiniso Rustamova is undoubtedly a well-known figure, even far beyond the borders of Tajikistan. She is recognized as an athlete who won the world championship in archery in the 1970s. However, few know her as an ordinary person, immersed in daily concerns and caring for her family’s well-being
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Zebiniso Rustamova is undoubtedly a well-known figure, even far beyond the borders of Tajikistan. She is recognized as an athlete who won the world championship in archery in the 1970s. However, few know her as an ordinary person, immersed in daily concerns and caring for her family’s well-being. A native of Dushanbe, Zebiniso Rustamova was born and raised there. During her childhood, every school had a strong emphasis on sports, offering many different activities.
One of her sisters was involved in gymnastics and dance, another in gymnastics and singing, but Zebiniso Sanginovna chose archery. Incidentally, prior to that, she had a strong passion for football and frequently attended matches with her uncle and brother. However, as she matured, her mother prohibited her from participating in this sport, which was predominantly seen as male-dominated at the time.
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The early 90s were both interesting and perilous times, recalls Zebiniso Sanginovna. In 1991, she traveled to Poland for the World Championship, accompanied by her eldest son. However, the coup began, prompting the athlete to urgently change her tickets and leave. Her Polish colleagues advised her to take advantage of the situation and seek asylum in the country.
However, she couldn't bear to leave her relatives and her younger son behind in her homeland. Many athletes chose to stay in Poland at that time and didn't understand her determination to return home. Then, in 1992, Zebiniso Rustamova took a team from Tajikistan to Sydney, where Andrey Abduvaliyev won gold, becoming the world champion.
A legend of Soviet sports, in 1992, she lived in Khujand, while one of her sons was in Dushanbe. Then, a state coup erupted. With the airport and roads closed, Zebiniso Sanginovna had to walk to Dushanbe to take care of her son. Upon arrival, she found all the windows in her house smashed, and neither her son nor neighbors were there.
Terrified, she began searching and discovered that her friends had hidden the boy in the hospital. Athletic careers are short, followed by a race for survival. In most cases, athletes become coaches, but Zebiniso Rustamova's path took a different turn.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1994, archery, including shooting with a bow, was discontinued in Tajikistan. When the athlete was removed from her position as chairman of the Sports Committee in 1994, she was offered opportunities to write various projects. Thanks to this, Zebiniso was able to raise her children and provide them with education. Currently, one of her sons lives in Dushanbe, and the other in America.
Zebiniso used to frequently visit him until the pandemic, as a grandmother's love is needed by all grandchildren. By 1998, things slowly began to return to normal, but many professional archers had already left the country.
Until February 2020, Zebiniso resided in Khujand. However, when her sister relocated abroad, she remained in Dushanbe to look after their sick mother. Following her mother's demise, she found herself unwilling to return to Khujand, feeling daunted by the prospect of being alone there. Despite having plenty of opportunities, Zebiniso Sanginovna never considered the notion of moving from Tajikistan to another country. To be an archer is the fate of the strong.
A standard training bow weighs around 10-12 kg, and its sight and stabilizer are specially designed for beginners. A professional one, however, weighs around 16 kg, requiring significant strength to draw the bowstring. It's no wonder that the arm strength of archers is compared to that of first-class weightlifters.
By the way, while bows used to be made of wood and plastic, nowadays they are made of carbon.
Modern bows offer several advantages: they are lighter in weight, and their rate of fire is higher. Arrows are made from carbon, and the bowstring from kevlar, which lasts longer and doesn't stretch over time. However, young Tajik athletes still struggle to surpass the records set by archers from the Soviet Union.
According to Zebriniso Sanginovna, shooting with wooden and plastic bows was much more challenging. "When possible, I try to pass on my experience to the youth," says the champion. "Thanks to Kosimu Rokhbarovich Kosimov, I was able to establish an archery section in the Sughd region. In 2010, by the order of the president,
Kohir Razulzoda purchased new professional bows and arrows for us, and Rajabbai Ahmadzoda helped acquire training bows. That's how our archery school in Khujand began operating, which initially started as a simple club."
For her jubilee in 2015, Abdurahmon Kodiri called Zebriniso and asked what gift she would like to receive. "Without hesitation, I said I had long wanted a school for archers. And by January 29th, the school was created and opened, with a regional scale. The only downside is the lack of a field, which will surely appear soon," she hopes.
Today, archers shoot from a distance of 70 m at the Olympic Games, but during the Soviet era, arrows were released from 90 m. Zebiniso once broke all records,which made her famous worldwide. She became the first woman to surpass the 1300-point mark.
"Perhaps modern athletes lack proper training. Because to succeed, mere desire is not enough. It requires persistent professional work for 8-10 hours a day and balanced nutrition, and then good results are guaranteed. Currently, the country cannot provide its athletes with the opportunity to compete at the global level, as there is no professional sports in Tajikistan. No athlete receives a salary, and the scholarships they receive barely cover their living expenses. Only football is a rare exception"
In the archery school in Khujand, according to Zebriniso, there are few students, despite enough interested individuals.
"Many of them cannot afford it. Bows, bowstrings, and arrows are expensive, plus the expenses for traveling to the training location. At our standard of living, even balanced and proper nutrition is a problem. We accept students from 10-12 years old. Currently, about 60 people attend the Khujand archery section," she says.
Today, the country keenly feels the lack of personnel who could fully promote work with athletes, Zebriniso Rustamova also notes. For example, the "Olympic Training Center of the National Team of the Republic of Tajikistan" is organized at a wrestling school, and other sports are not particularly promoted there. Because wrestling is the number one sport for Tajikistan.
She believes that the "Olympic Training Center for the National Team of Tajikistan" should be independent, not attached to a school of a specific sport. It should be large and equipped with everything necessary. There should be sections for each type of sport, and then the training of athletes for world championships will become possible. After all, the best athletes are selected for the national team based on internal competitions.
Soon, Zebriniso Rustamova plans to co-author an autobiographical book with her friend, where she will share the most interesting memories of her life. The book could serve as a visual aid not only for future athletes but also for ordinary boys and girls.
Our hero
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