KUMITE THE AZERBAIJANI WAY

Azerbaijani karatekas got their first major victory of 2014 at the European championship, which took place in the Finnish city of Tampere. 

Nine Azerbaijani karatekas competed in individual kumite. Before reaching the final Niyazi Aliyev (in the under 67 kg weight category) and Sahin Atamov (in the over 84 kg category) had already gotten silver medals. In the final Sahin Atamov lost to Enes Erkan from Turkey due to unfair judging. The match between Aliyev and Briton Thomas Jordan ended in a 1:1 draw, although the judges gave the victory to the British karateka. 

In the struggle for the bronze Nurana Aliyeva (in the under 50 kg category) won a clear-cut victory over Eirini-Kristina Kavakapulo, with a score of 8:2. Unfortunately, Ayxan Mamayev (in the over 84 kg category), one of the favoured-to-win karatekas in his weight category, did not make it into the prize-winners.  In a third-place match with Bosnian Meris Muhovic, Ayxan suffered a knee injury and lost in the final seconds, with a score of 2:3.  

Thanks to the medals won in individual competitions by Sahin Atamov, Niyazi Aliyev and Nurana Aliyeva, in the overall standings the Azerbaijani team rose to fourth place. 

Meanwhile, in the team kumite competitions Azerbaijani karatekas knew no equals. On the path to the final the team, consisting of Tural Agalarzada, Rafiz Hasanov, Sahin Atamov, Ayxan Mamayev, Niyazi Aliyev and Asiman Qurbanli, secured three victories. Entering the competition from the second round, the Azerbaijani team beat the Latvian (3:0) and the Serbian teams (2:1), proving to the latter that the loss in last year's world championship was due to errors from the judges. At the semifinal the Dutch team was defeated (2:0). After beating the Turkish team, one of the favourites to win, the Azerbaijani sportsmen for the first time became the champions of Europe in team kumite.

In an interview with R+, president of the Azerbaijan National Karate Federation Yasar Basirov appraised the team's accomplishment as a great success: "Azerbaijani karatekas are always ready to show their strength. Although in a few competitions there was some bias against us, our goal remained the same. In Finland the Azerbaijani athletes demonstrated true dedication. Winning the gold in the team competitions demonstrates both the skill and the unity of our karatekas. Karate is well-developed in most European countries. That is why each match was a challenge. The final match with the Turkish team was especially remarkable. Although it ended in a draw, the judges gave the victory to the Azerbaijani team, since in the course of the match we showed more commitment. Our desire to win was stronger." 

Sahin Atamov, one of the leaders of the Azerbaijani team, also shared his impressions of the victory with R+. "In individual competition," said Atamov, "I was close to the championship. My loss in the final was the result of biased judges. They did not appraise the blows I delivered. That's the reason why I had to be satisfied with the silver. In the kumite competitions, however, the Azerbaijani team proved that it was the strongest. Everyone on the team gave their all to win."     

It should be remembered that at this European championship the Azerbaijani team competed without its leader - the injured four-time world champion and six-time European champion Rafayel Agayev.