“We want to repeat the success we achieved at the European Championship at the European Youth Olympic Festival.”
Idman.biz reports that these words were said by Emin Iskandarov, head coach of the Azerbaijani national youth judo team, in an interview with Report news agency while sharing his thoughts on the European Championship held in Skopje, North Macedonia.
He noted that winning three gold medals placed Azerbaijan first among boys’ teams: “We expected strong performances in the 50, 55, and 60 kg categories. Anar Guliyev, Rasul Alizada, and Zeyd Alasgarov were all title contenders. Despite tough rivals, especially Russia’s world champion Aleksei Toptygin, Rasul won the final to claim the gold.”
Iskandarov praised Anar Guliyev’s performance in defeating Aleksei’s younger brother Ilia and added that Zeyd was also expected to win in 60 kg. Other athletes were unlucky, losing due to technical errors despite leading. Two key athletes — Amin Mehdiyev (81 kg) and Subhan Akhundov (+90 kg) — missed the event due to injury and exams.
The team will next compete in the European Youth Olympic Festival in July and the World Championship in Bulgaria in August. Azerbaijan finished the European Championship with 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals, ranking second overall and first among boys.
Idman.biz
