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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan's judokas will participate in the Grand Prix tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, Azernews reports.

The competition, which is part of the International Judo Federation's calendar, will be held from November 14 to 16.

Azerbaijan will be represented by a total of 15 judokas (12 men and 3 women) across 9 weight categories.

The men's team will be led by Robert Kravchik, the head coach of the national men's team, while Amina Abdellatif will coach the women’s team.

For the men, Hüseyn Allahyarov and Murad Muradlı will compete in the 60 kg category, Islam Rahimov and Nazir Talibov in the 66 kg, Ibrahim Aliyev and Rufat Shovlatov in the 73 kg, Vusal Qalandarzade in the 81 kg, Aslan Kotsoev and Vugar Talibov in the 90 kg, Ajdar Baghirov in the 100 kg, and Jamal Gamzatkhanov and Kanan Nasibov will represent Azerbaijan in the +100 kg category.

For the women, Konul Aliyeva will compete in the 48 kg category, while Aydan Valiyeva and Gultaj Mammadaliyeva will compete in the 52 kg category.

The three-day tournament will feature 397 athletes (230 men and 168 women) from 48 countries.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art across the country. The President of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation is Rashad Nabiyev.

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 in the 73 kg division at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, İrina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelym Kotsoiev, 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.