Azerbaijan’s judokas have made a significant leap in the latest IJF world rankings following an impressive showing at the Paris Grand Slam, with two athletes moving into the global top five.
According to İdman.Biz, the International Judo Federation has published its updated rankings after the recent Grand Slam event in Paris, where Azerbaijani competitors collected three medals. Balabay Agayev claimed gold in the under-60kg category, while Zelim Tskayev took silver at under 81kg. Ruslan Pashayev completed the medal haul with bronze in the under-66kg division.
Agayev’s victory earned him a total of 4,090 ranking points, lifting him five places to fourth in the world. He now sits just 80 points behind Japan’s Ryuju Nagayama in third, a gap considered minimal by judo standards.
Tskayev also enjoyed a notable rise, climbing three places to second in the world in the under-81kg category with 4,365 points. He currently trails Russia’s Timur Arbuzov, who leads the ranking with 5,855 points. Meanwhile, Pashayev’s bronze medal in Paris strengthened his position inside the top ten, moving him from ninth to seventh with 3,151 points.
Elsewhere, Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov dropped two places to fourth in the under-73kg ranking after missing the Paris Grand Slam, despite holding 3,836 points. Eljan Hajiyev (under 90kg) retained third place with 3,246 points, while Zelim Kotsoiev continues to occupy second at under 100kg on 4,868 points. Heavyweight judoka Ushangi Kokauri remains seventh in the over-100kg category with 3,726 points.
The updated rankings underline Azerbaijan’s growing strength on the international judo scene as the season builds towards further major tournaments.
