Azerbaijan's judo team enjoyed a strong start at the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam in Mongolia, winning one gold and one bronze medal on the opening day of competition.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Balabay Aghayev delivered the standout performance for the national team by capturing the gold medal in the men's 60kg division.
The Azerbaijani judoka capped an impressive run by defeating Japan's former world champion Ryuju Nagayama in the final. Earlier in the tournament, Aghayev overcame several high-profile opponents, including reigning world and European champion Giorgi Sardalashvili of Georgia and Israel's Itzhak Ashpiz in the semifinals.
Azerbaijan's second medal came through Nizami Imranov in the men's 66kg category. After narrowly losing to reigning world champion Takeshi Takeoka of Japan in the semifinals, the 20-year-old bounced back to defeat Mongolia's Yolk Kazirbek in the bronze-medal match.
Ahmad Yusifov also came close to reaching the podium in the 60kg division. However, he was defeated in the bronze-medal contest and finished fifth, earning valuable ranking points. Ruslan Pashayev concluded the tournament in seventh place in the 66kg category.
The Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam carries added significance as it is the first event of the current Olympic cycle to award qualification ranking points toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The competition runs through June 21, with Azerbaijan represented by a 17-member squad aiming to add more medals before the tournament concludes.
