Three more Azerbaijani judokas will begin their campaigns at the World Judo Championships in Baku today.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Khadija Gadashova (57 kg), Hidayat Heydarov and Rashid Mammadaliyev (both 73 kg) will take to the tatami on the third day of the championships.
Gadashova will face Kyrgyzstan's Janar Joldosheva in the round of 64.
Paris 2024 Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov will begin his campaign in the same round against Kosovo's Akil Gjakova.
Mammadaliyev, who starts from the round of 32, will face the winner of the bout between Moldova's Adil Osmanov and Canada's Justin Lemire.
Osmanov is a Moldovan judoka of Azerbaijani origin who has represented Moldova internationally since 2017. The 26-year-old won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has also claimed gold at the Upper Austria Grand Prix and Antalya Grand Slam in 2024, as well as the 2025 World University Games.
Osmanov and Mammadaliyev met twice in 2024, with both encounters coming in the finals of major international tournaments. Osmanov defeated the Azerbaijani judoka in the Upper Austria Grand Prix final in Linz in March before beating him again a few weeks later in the Antalya Grand Slam final.
The preliminary rounds will begin at 10:30, while the final block featuring the medal contests is scheduled to start at 18:00.
The World Championships in Baku will conclude on October 11.
Azerbaijan has already celebrated a historic success at the tournament, with Ahmad Yusifov winning gold in the 60 kg category on the opening day. It was Azerbaijan's fourth gold medal in the history of the senior World Judo Championships and the country's first world title in the men's 60 kg division.
