Ramil Guliyev


Ramil Guliyev is an Azerbaijani-born naturalized Turkish sprinter. He competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres events. At the 2017 World Championships, Guliyev became World Champion in the men's 200 metre race, winning Turkey's first ever gold medal in the World Championships. His club is Fenerbahçe Athletics. In 2018, he won the gold medal in the 200 m event at the European Championships.

Career

He competed at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships, winning a silver medal in the 100 m and a gold medal in the 200 m.
He also competed in Berlin at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, finishing seventh at the age of 19 when Usain Bolt set his world record at 200m.
He holds the national and national junior records in both events. He is also the 200 m European junior record holder and national junior record holder in the 60 metres. His 200 m time is the second fastest by a junior athlete, after Usain Bolt's 19.93 sec. He came second in the men's European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Award for his achievements in 2009.

Move to Turkey

In April 2011, the IAAF enacted a transfer delay in line with its international rules, banning Guliyev from representing any country other than Azerbaijan until April 2014. The runner argued that the training and financial support that he received in Turkey was significant, and that the people, language, and culture were very similar between the two countries, though his home federation remained open to him representing Azerbaijan internationally again. Following negotiations with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports, Guliyev confirmed his original decision not to compete for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov explained this by Guliyev's putting forward too unreasonable financial demands for a young athlete and expressed doubt that Guliyev's representation of Turkey in the 2012 Summer Olympics would be successful.
On September 8, 2015, he ran the 200 metres race, part of the Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb timed in 19.88. At the time that ranked him tied for the 34th best performer of all time and #6 for 2015.
On August 10, 2017, he won the men's 200 metre race at the London 2017 IAAF World Championship in a time of 20.09.
After his historic success he stated that "if not for Fenerbahçe, I would have probably quit athletics a long time ago. All my achievements are thanks to my club."
He won the gold medal at the 2018 European Championships with a time 19.76 s, setting the new championships record.

Coach

He was trained by his father Eldar Quliyev until the latter's death from a heart attack in June 2010.

Statistics

Personal bests

1Representing Europe

Circuit wins

200 m