"I knew I would become a champion."
This is what Eljan Hajiyev, a member of the Azerbaijani judo team, told Idman.biz, reflecting on his performance at the Grand Slam tournament held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
For the first time in his career, Hajiyev claimed the title at a Grand Slam event, and he shared his feelings about the victory.
He revealed that he had been eagerly waiting for this competition: “After the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, I went through very tough days. I had two surgeries, and in my first competition after that, I won the gold medal.”
Hajiyev faced his teammate, Vugar Talibov, in the final and highlighted the significance of the match: “I wouldn’t say it was easy, but after being away from the arenas for months, my first match felt a bit different. Moreover, competing against a Tajik athlete in that atmosphere wasn’t easy. But the most important thing is that I won. The final was tough. I defeated my fellow countryman Vugar Talibov to take the gold medal. I had a lot of confidence in myself. During my injury recovery, I was eagerly waiting for the day I would return to the mat. I had said before that I would continue as I had started.”
Hajiyev had suffered a serious injury during the 1/8 final at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
