By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Judo is a dynamic combat sport which requires both physical strength and great mental discipline.  Originated in Japan, this modern martial art has taken its honorable place in the history of Azerbaijani sport.

National judo fighters have started its road to success long ago. In 1992, Nazim Huseynov became the first Azerbaijani judoka to win an Olympic gold. He also won bronze at the World Judo Championships (1991) and the European title at European Judo Championships (1992).

Over this time, many promising judokas  trained under the guidance of such coaches as Agayar Akhundzade, Hajiaga Hajiakhmedov, Ali Davrishev, Ibadulla Shabanov and others.

Founded in 1972, Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art across the country.  Since 2015, the Federation is headed by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won silver medal at Old World Championship in 1998. A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed bronze medal at European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka Elchin Ismayilov became the European champion 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named best at Beijing Olympics 2008 in the 73 kg division. In the final, he beat the favorite Wang Ki-Chun and brought home a gold medal. In Beijing, Movlud Miraliyev enriched the country's medal hall with bronze medal.

Beijing Olympics 2008 gave a fresh impetus to judo in Azerbaijan.

 list of the country's top judo fighters include Rustam Orujov, ?ryna Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayet Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri and Nijat Shihalizadeh.

Rustam Orujev is the silver medalist of  the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 73 kg event. Last year, he climbed the podium six times in various competitions. Silver medal at World Championships in Tokyo is of particular attention.

?ryna Kindzerskaya also showed her best at judo championships. The final of the Grand Slam in Dusseldorf 2020 also added extra points to ?ryna in the judo ranking.

Mammadali Mehdiyev is a bronze medalist of the European Games in Minsk. He also finished fifth at the Grand Slam in Osaka, Paris and Dusseldorf.

Elmar Gasimov competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and won a silver medal in 2016.

The judo fighter won a gold medal at the 2009 European Youth Championship, after defeating Lukáš Krpálek in the final. He also grabbed bronze at the 2017 World Championships.

Hidayet Heydarov enriched the country's medal haul with a  gold medal at the 2017 European Judo Championships. He defeated his teammate Rustam Orujov at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games final.

Zelim Kotsoev became Junior World Champion in Zagreb in 2017 and was also European Junior champion in 2017 in Maribor. He won the Grand Prix Antalya in 2018 and became European Cadet Champion U18 in 2014 in Athens and in 2015 in Sofia. The judoka took silver at the World Cadet Championships in Sarajevo in 2015.

He also won European Championships bronze in 2018 in Tel Aviv. Later, he took two bronze medals at the Grand Slam in Düsseldorf and silver in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Ushangi Kokauri represented Azerbaijan at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won bronze at the Grand Slam in Paris and Abu Dhabi. He took the fifth place at the European Games, the Grand Prix in Antalya and Tel Aviv.

Nijat Shikhalizadeh took the second place at  Oceania Open Cup in Perth. He also grabbed silver medal at Grand Slam in Baku.

Azerbaijani judokas continue to achieve global success enriching the country's medal haul with new victories.