“The Grand Slam will stay in my memory with some great moments,” said Azerbaijani judoka Vugar Talibov (90 kg) in an interview with Idman.biz.
Talibov reflected on his performance at the Grand Slam tournament held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where he earned a silver medal. He shared that the most challenging match came in the final: “I was expecting a medal thanks to our good preparation — I just didn’t know which color. Both Eljan Hajiyev and I were group leaders coming into the tournament. The final was definitely the hardest match. Facing European champion Eljan in the decisive bout was no easy task. It was also the first time I faced a fellow Azerbaijani at a Grand Slam, which made it even more emotional. Eljan and I have been friends since childhood. Of course, I wanted to be champion — no one steps onto the mat to lose. Unfortunately, I came up short this time, but I hope to beat Eljan next time.”
Talibov added that it’s too early to talk about upcoming competitions: “I can’t say anything specific about the future yet since nothing is certain. We have the World Championships ahead, but it’s up to the coaches to decide who will compete. For now, I’ll just stay prepared and wait.”
Notably, following his Grand Slam performance, Talibov climbed to 12th place in the International Judo Federation (IJF) world rankings with 9 points.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
