Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The Azerbaijan national judo team, consisting of junior male athletes, has participated in an international training camp held in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, Azernews reports.

The camp was organized by the European Judo Union and was led by the national team's head coach, Rustam Alimli, along with coach Elkhan Rajabli.

The training camp served as preparation for the upcoming European Championship among juniors.

European Judo Championships Juniors Bratislava will take place from September 4 to 7, bringing together 228 judokas from 28 countries.

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

At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, judokas Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) earned gold medals for Azerbaijan.