National judo team to compete at World Junior Judo Championship

Azerbaijani judokas will compete at the World Junior Judo Championship, Azernews reports.

The competition will take place on August 28-31 in Lima, the capital of Peru.

Azerbaijan will be represented by 7 judokas in 5 weight classes among boys at the World Cup.

The national team includes Bahadir Feyzullayev (50 kg), Muhammadali Husiyev (50 kg), Nihad Mamishov (55 kg), Casur Ibadli (73 kg), Ali Gazimammadov (81 kg), Mehdi Abbasov (81 kg) and Subhan Akhundov (+90 kg).

A total of 405 athletes from 49 countries will participate in the World Junior Judo Championship. The judokas will be led by Nijat Shikhalizade and Emin Iskandarov, coaches of the junior team.

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.

At 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Azerbaijani judokas Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) enriched the country`s medal haul with gold medals.

In Paris, the national team secured a total of seven medals, including two gold, two silver and three bronze. As a result, the country took 30th position on the overall medal tally.