National judo team trains for European Championships in Japan

Azerbaijani judokas are in a training camp in Japan.

A total of 30 members of the senior and junior national teams were involved in the training. The preparation process will continue until March 21.

The main national team started the training at Tokai University and the juniors at Kokushikan University. Then, the athletes will continue their training at the Kodokan Training Center. The next part of the training camp will also include judokas from the Japanese national team.

The preparation process is part of the long-term preparation for the European Championship to be held in Montenegro in April and international tournaments to be organized in May.

The senior team is led by head coach Richard Trautman and senior coaches Elchin Ismayilov and Slavko Tekic, while the junior team is led by head coach Rustam Alimli, coaches Elkhan Rajabli and Kotaro Sasaki.

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

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, judokas Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) earned gold medals for Azerbaijan.