The Azerbaijan women’s national judo team has received reinforcements.
According to Idman.Biz, citing the press service of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, two new athletes will soon make their debut for the team: Alina Kugaeva in the 70 kg category and Madina Kaisinova in the over 78 kg division. The federation described this move as the result of a long-term selection process.
“This is the outcome of the federation’s scouting work. We carefully selected judokas by attending various tournaments in Russia, invited them to Azerbaijan, consulted with the head coaches of our national teams and, in the end, chose Alina and Madina. First, this decision was made to increase competition in the 70 kg category. Second, after Irina Kindzerska, we did not have a competitive judoka in the super-heavyweight division at all. And finally, this was done in the interests of the national team in order to perform better in mixed team competitions. We hope that after these additions the situation will change for the better,” the federation stated.
It is worth noting that 22-year-old Alina Kugaeva finished third at the most recent national championship, where Sudaba Aghayeva claimed gold, while 27-year-old Madina Kaisinova won the tournament without major difficulties. Both athletes are Ossetians by nationality and represent the Russian judo school.
