EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Judo Federation hosted the European Judo Championship in Prague, Czech Republic.

With five medals, the Azerbaijani national team became the fourth strongest team in the continental championship.

Among the women athletes, Irina Kindzerskaya (78 kg) won a silver medal. Among the men judokas Rustam Orujov (73 kg), Mammadali Mehdiyev (90 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) received bronze medals. Orkhan Safarov (66 kg) was awarded the gold medal.

Gold of Europe

Orkhan Safarov became the strongest judoka of the championship attended by 345 athletes from 40 countries. Over the years, he has become the prize-winner of the European championships several times. But this time he climbed to the highest step of the podium. First, Orkhan knocked out Manuel Lombardo (Italy) and Matej Poliak (Slovakia). Then, in the quarter-finals, Orkhan defeated the German rival Sebastian Seidl. After defeating Strahinja Buncic (Serbia) by ippon in the semifinals, Safarov reached the final, where he left no chances for Israeli Tal Flicker. With a wonderful trick, he proved himself to be the best. Orkhan Safarov dedicated his first victory at the European Championship to the Azerbaijani soldiers saluting them on the tatami. Thus, the 29-year-old athlete shared his joy with the victorious Azerbaijani army.

Another Azerbaijani athlete Rustam Orujov (73 kg) defeated Claudio Nunez Dos Santos (Luxembourg) and Alexander Raiku (Romania). Then, in the quarter-finals, he lost to Lasha Shavdatuashvili from Georgia. After winning the consolation duel with Tohar Butbul (Israel), Rustam got qualified for competing for the bronze medal. After winning the Swiss athlete Nils Stump, Orujov brought the bronze medal for the Azerbaijani national team.

Azerbaijani judokas also made their fans happy on the last day of the competition. Having lost in the early stages of the tournament, they made every effort in consolation matches in order to return to Azerbaijan with medals. Mammadali Mehdiyev (90 kg) won a bronze medal by defeating Michael Zhgank from Turkey, and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) became the bronze medallist after defeating the Bulgarian judoka Boris Georgiev.

Among the women judokas, Irina Kindzerskaya (78 kg) was the only to reach the final stage of the tournament without defeat. The 29-year-old athlete first defeated Milika Zabic (Serbia) in 89 seconds, and then in the quarter-finals she defeated the Ukrainian athlete Elizaveta Kalinina in 67 seconds by Ippon. Irina’s last battle was with the French athlete Romain Diko. Unfortunately, Kindzerskaya lost to her rival and returned to Azerbaijan with a silver medal.

In honour of the valiant army

Orkhan Safarov, who returned home with a gold medal, shared his impressions with our magazine. Our European champion dedicated his victory to the Azerbaijani army: “Earlier, when I was performing in the 60 kg category, I could reach the final stage of the tournament twice, but both times I got a silver medal. This was my third way to the final. I promised myself and everyone that this time I would not miss the chance. I am very glad that everything worked out, and I achieved what I wanted. I dedicate my victory to the Azerbaijani people, our valiant army. If you remember, I made a military salute after winning the bronze medal at the Grand Slam tournament in Budapest. This was to support our victorious army, our valiant soldiers. Victory at the front is a great pride for us. We rejoice together with all our people. May the souls of our martyrs rest in peace. I wish a speedy recovery to all the wounded soldiers and officers of our army.

“After Azerbaijan's victory in the war, we have become many times more responsible for what we do. In those difficult days, I was eager to win the continental championship. The championship was attended by my strongest rivals from Europe. Despite the pandemic, everyone was there. Only the strongest athletes from Japan and South Korea were missing. All the fights were difficult - from the start to the final. I felt responsible and excited."

Ratings table

The International Judo Federation published the results of the European Championship in the table of ratings. The bronze medallist of the Prague championship, Rustam Orujov (73 kg) now has 6,575 points and moved one step up and tops the table. The silver medallist of the continental championship Irina Kindzerskaya has 5,464 points. She has also moved up one notch and is now ranked fourth in the world rankings table.

The team led by Ruslan Mashurenko did their best at the last competition of 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic. Half of the team (7 of 14 athletes) could reach at least the quarter-finals: Nijat Shikhalizade (66 kg), Telman Veliyev (73 kg), Usangi Kokauri (100 kg), Leyla Aliyeva and Aisha Gurbanli (both 48 kg), Gultaj Mammadaliyeva (52 kg) and Alexandra-Larisa Florian (57 kg). Unfortunately, only the clear contenders won the medals.

With this result, the Azerbaijani national team took the fourth place among 40 participating teams. The strongest team of the championship was the French national team (5 gold and 3 bronze medals); the second strongest was Russia (3, 3, 1) and the third - Georgia (1, 1, 4). Our men's team finished the fourth, while the women's team ranked the eighth.

Due to the pandemic, lockdown periods have been extended in most European countries. That is why the International Judo Federation has postponed the competition scheduled for December. The next international judo tournament will take place in January 2021.