Azerbaijani taekwondo fighters have claimed 12 medals at the Samarkand Open tournament held in Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.
Murad Hasanzadeh (26 kg) and Subhan Rzayev (38 kg) climbed to the top of the podium.
Nigar Useynova (Individual - U30) and Narin Hasanova (Individual - U18) won the silver prize.
Zahra Isayeva (42 kg), Vidadi Mammadli (26 kg), Jahid Ismayilzade (42 kg), Yusif Zeynalli (+42 kg) silver, Fateh Sultanli (38 kg), Aliya Mammadli (+42 kg), Akbar Taghiyev (24 kg) ), and Mirzali Ugur (40 kg) took bronze medals.
On August 16-18, the Azerbaijani national team will train together with the Taekwondo teams of Uzbekistan.
Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in Azerbaijan.
The National Taekwondo Federation has trained many prominent athletes since its foundation in 1992.
In 2018, Radik Isayev (80 kg) was crowned European Champion for the second time in his career.
Another national taekwondo fighter Milad Beigi Harchegani (80 kg) became the world taekwondo champion in 2019.
In 2021, Azerbaijani female taekwondo athlete Minaya Akbarova claimed a bronze medal at the European Taekwondo Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She won the bronze medal in the 46 kg weight class.
Moreover, the Azerbaijani taekwondo team won five medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games.
The taekwondo fighters won one gold, two silver, and two bronze in Konya, Turkiye.
The medals came from Farida Azizova (gold medal), Javad Aghayev, Minaya Akbarova (silver medals), Hashim Mahammadov, and Patimat Abakarova (bronze).
In total, Azerbaijani sportsmen captured 99 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, including 29 gold, 36 silver, and 34 bronze.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, taekwondo fighter Gashim Magomedov (58 kg) and boxer Alfonso Dominguez (92 kg) enriched the country's medal haul with silver medals.
The national team secured a total of seven medals, including two gold, two silver and three bronze.