“The main goal of Azerbaijan’s junior boys’ judo team at the World Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, will be to secure a spot among the top three in the medal standings,” Idman.biz reports, citing the team’s head coach Emin Iskandarov.
The coach noted that they will aim to replicate their results from the European Championship held in Skopje, North Macedonia: “Our expectations are high. The World Championship has its own atmosphere. With participants from Asia, North and South America, the competition will be tough. There might be some tension, but we will strive for results. We could have taken 10 athletes, but 8 judokas will participate. We will not be represented in the 66 kg and 81 kg categories, as some athletes failed to prove themselves in recent tournaments.”
Iskandarov discussed the team’s goals for the World Championship: “We aim to secure one of the top three positions in the medal standings. That is our expectation and objective. But we will see the results together. It’s difficult to predict outcomes in advance. All our opponents are their countries’ top judokas. The competition will be strong. Russian and Georgian athletes are also contenders. We have analyzed the judokas our athletes will face. Some have competed against them in continental tournaments. We’ve worked on our mistakes and are well prepared for the tournament.”
The World Championship will be held from August 26 to 31.
Idman.biz
