Azerbaijan’s men’s judo head coach Richard Trautmann has underlined that “discipline is number one” in his squad — even when it comes to Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov — following the team’s seven-medal haul at the Tashkent Grand Slam, İdman.Biz repprts.
The national side secured four gold medals, one silver and two bronze in Uzbekistan, finishing first in the men’s standings and second in the overall team rankings. Yet despite the impressive results, Trautmann devoted part of his post-tournament assessment to internal discipline, particularly after Heydarov was unable to compete due to weight-management issues.
“Hidayat is one of the most important figures in Azerbaijani judo. He is an Olympic, world and four-time European champion,” the German coach said. “But regardless of who you are, for us discipline is the number one issue. Everyone must follow the rules. Unfortunately, in Tashkent he did not make the weight and was not allowed to compete. The federation took appropriate measures.”, - he said to Report.
Trautmann added that he remains fully confident in Heydarov’s long-term potential, insisting the 73kg judoka can still add further world and Olympic titles if he maintains the right professional standards.
Beyond the disciplinary matters, the coach praised the team’s overall performance and the structural changes implemented in the new Olympic cycle. Azerbaijan have adapted to updated IJF rules, reshaped their training programme and introduced greater accountability among coaching staff.
One area of notable improvement has been groundwork, or ne-waza — historically a weakness for the squad. Trautmann highlighted recent victories by Omar Rajabli and Balabay Aghayev over Japanese opponents as proof of technical progress.
With Azerbaijan topping the men’s table in Tashkent, the results reinforce their status as one of the emerging forces in international judo. However, Trautmann’s message was clear: talent and medals alone are not enough without strict discipline and professionalism.
