Azerbaijani judoka Balabay Aghayev (60 kg) has overtaken compatriot Ahmad Yusifov (60 kg) to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the International Judo Federation (IJF) has released its updated world rankings following the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.
Azerbaijan enjoyed an impressive performance in the UAE capital, with Balabay Aghayev (60 kg) and Konul Aliyeva (48 kg) winning gold medals, Ushangi Kokauri (+100 kg) claiming silver, and Rashad Yelkiyev (66 kg) and Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) securing bronze.
Notably, Aliyeva became the first Azerbaijani female judoka to win a Grand Slam gold medal, while the national team finished first in the overall medal standings.
Returning to the world rankings, Aghayev earned 1,000 points for his triumph in Abu Dhabi, taking his total to 5,473 and allowing him to regain the world No. 1 position from fellow Azerbaijani Yusifov, who currently has 5,355 points.
Yusifov had previously climbed to the top of the IJF rankings after winning gold at the World Championships in Baku.
As a result, the battle for supremacy in the men's 60 kg division has been an exclusively Azerbaijani affair in recent months – a rivalry that has undoubtedly been a pleasure for local judo fans to follow.
Meanwhile, Konul Aliyeva (48 kg), whose Grand Slam victory made history, climbed seven places to 16th in the world rankings with 2,541 points.
Ushangi Kokauri (+100 kg) continues to hold second place in the world with 5,040 points. In the same weight category, Baku World Championships bronze medalist Kenan Nasibov, who became a two-time European U23 champion last weekend, dropped from third to fourth with 3,920 points. Jamal Gamzatkhanov is ranked 11th with 3,290 points.
Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) moved up seven places to 19th following his bronze medal at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, bringing his total to 2,083 points. Rashid Mammadaliyev remains Azerbaijan's highest-ranked judoka in this division, holding fourth place with 4,528 points.
The biggest improvement came from Rashad Yelkiyev (66 kg), who climbed 14 positions after winning bronze in Abu Dhabi. With 1,825 points, he now occupies 20th place. Ruslan Pashayev remains Azerbaijan's leading representative in the category, ranking sixth with 3,420 points.
In the remaining weight categories, most of Azerbaijan's leading judokas maintained their positions.
Zelim Tckaev (81 kg) continues to lead the world rankings with 4,536 points, while Omar Rajabli (81 kg) remains sixth with 3,647 points. Murad Fatiyev (90 kg) holds third place with 3,836 points.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) dropped from 13th to 15th with 2,544 points, while Gultaj Mammadaliyeva (52 kg) improved from 24th to 22nd with 1,773 points.
With two Azerbaijani judokas occupying the world No. 1 positions in their respective categories and several others firmly established among the elite, the latest IJF rankings underline Azerbaijan's growing strength on the international judo stage.
