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Laman Ismayilova

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The Antalya Cadet European Cup 2024 has been held in Antalya, Turkiye.

Azerbaijan team finished the tournament with 4 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals, Azernews reports.

With that, the national team took first place overall, and the second place among girls and boys.

On the first day of the tournament, the national judokas grabbed 4 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals.

On the second day, Mehdi Abbasov (81 kg) and Subhan Akhundov (+90 kg) captured silver medals among the boys. Among the girls, Aytan Verdiyeva won silver and Nilgun Rzayeva won bronze in 57 kilograms.

Around 57 judokas represented Azerbaijan at the Antalya Cadet European Cup 2024.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art across the country. Since 2015, the Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics gave fresh impetus to judo in Azerbaijan.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, İrina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayet Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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