National karate team awarded at 2023 Karate 1 - Premier League event

The Azerbaijani karate fighters have captured five bronze medals at the 2023 Karate 1-Premier League event in Egypt, Azernews reports.

Tural Agalarzada (60 kg), Farid Agayev (75 kg), Turgut Hasanov (84 kg), Madina Sadigova (55 kg), and Irina Zaretska (68 kg) came third in Cairo.

Three karate fighters Aminagha Guliyev (60 kg), Ayxan Mamayev (84 kg), and Asiman Gurbanli (+84 kg) were injured in the first meeting and failed to win medals.

President of the Azerbaijan Karate Federation Yashar Bashirov took part in the award ceremony.

The 2023 Karate 1-Premier League featured 384 karate fighters from 58 countries. At the end of the Premier League season in Cairo, top-ranked athletes were awarded the Grand Winner award.

Azerbaijani karate fighters Aminaga Guliyev and Irina Zaretska were among those who received the prestigious prize.

As for now, the national team is looking forward to the 2023 EKF Senior Karate Championships to be held in Spain's Guadalajara city on March 22-26.

Over the past few years, national karateka won prestigious international tournaments, and European and World championships.

Rafael Agayev has managed to achieve all of the highest sporting victories in karate; he is a multiple European and world champion.

For outstanding sports achievements, he was repeatedly awarded by the leadership of the National Olympic Committee, and the Youth and Sports Ministry of Azerbaijan.

President of the World Karate Federation Antonio Espinosa called him the "Diamond of the Karate World".

Irina Zaretska is also well-known for her numerous victories in the international arena.

She won a gold medal at the Karate1 2014 Premier League in Almere, a bronze medal at the World Karate Cup 2014, a gold medal at the Premier League Karate1 2015 in Istanbul, a silver medal at the Premier League Karate1 2017, etc.

In 2022, Azerbaijani karate fighters grabbed six medals including three gold and three bronze at Karate 1 Premier League in Baku.

Eminaga Guliyev (60 kg), Irina Zaretskaya (68 kg), and Asiman Gurbanli (+84 kg) enriched the country's medal haul with gold medals.

Bronze medals came from Tural Agalarzada (67 kilograms), Turgut Hasanov (84 kg), and Murad Hajizada (+84 kg).