Azerbaijani team earns eight medals at 2024 Judo Grand Slam Baku

The Azerbaijani team has finished the 2024 Judo Grand Slam Baku with 8 medals.

Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg), Zelim Tchkayev (81 kg) and Murad Fatiyev (90 kg) claimed gold, Omar Rajabli (81 kg), Jamal Gamzatkhanov (+100 kg) won silver, and Balabey Agayev (60 kg), Yashar Najafov (66 kg) and Vugar Talibov (90 kg) took bronze, Azernews reports.

Judokas from 62 countries took part in the 2024 Judo Grand Slam Baku, held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku as part of the IJF World Tour and during the 2024 Summer Olympics qualification period.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Paris will become the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics three times.

The Games will feature football, tennis, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, volleyball, weightlifting, basketball, fencing, taekwondo, athletics, wrestling, and other sports, as well as the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic event.

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 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 2008 Beijing Olympics gave fresh impetus to judo in Azerbaijan.

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