Azerbaijan wins 10 medals at European Judo Championships
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijani paralympic judokas won 10 medals at the European Judo Championship in Hungary -- five gold, one silver and four bronze.
Sixteen athletes represented Azerbaijan in the Judo European Championships 2013 and Junior World Judo Games by International Blind Sports Federation with judokas from 21 countries were held in Eger, Hungary, on December 2-6.
Azerbaijani team with five newcomers secured a success after a crucial victory over Ukrainian athletes with a score of 3-2 win over Ukraine in the final.
Two-time Paralympic, two-time World champion Ilham Zakiyev (100+ kg) became five time European champion at the games.
Judo European Championships is open to athletes with visual impairments in several weight categories. Contests last five minutes, and the athlete who scores the higher point wins.
Judo was first considered a martial art activity for practicing mobility, until it was included for the first time as a competitive sport at the Paralympics Games in Seoul in 1988. Women's weight categories were included at Athens games in 2004.