A BOUQUET OF AWARDS

Following several unsuccessful tournament bids, the Azerbaijani national judo team has finally pleased its fans. By winning four medals at the recent Grand Slam tournament in Abu Dhabi, Haciaga Haciahmadov's team confirmed the real potential of its athletes. The team won one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. The Azerbaijani judokas could have brought home even more medals if their teammates in the heavyweight classes had met their expectations.

Orxan Safarov won the top medal. Appearing in the United Arab Emirates in the 60 kg weight class, the athlete proved to be a nightmare for his opponents in the truest sense of the word. It is safe to say that Orxan is one of the top judokas on the continent in his weight class. On his way to the podium, Orxan drew attention for his victories in his last two bouts over two formidable opponents from Mongolia. Beating out Kherlen Ganbold in the semifinal, and Amartuvshin Dashdavaa in the final, Orxan, for the third time this season, stood on the highest podium. Considering the fact that the Grand Slam is a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Safarov's win carries even greater importance. As he continues to hone his skills in training, Orxan is drawing ever closer to an appearance atthe Games in Rio. 

Taking third place and likewise increasing his number of qualifying points is another one of our judokas, Ilqar Muskiyev, who also competed in the 60 kg weight class. Currently, Safarov is ahead of Muskiyev in the world rankings. So there is a possibility that next year we might see a face-off between the two, since Azerbaijan can send only one judoka to the Olympics in each weight class.

Tarlan Karimov finally achieved success following a long dry spell. An athlete at the Summer Olympics in London, Karimov finally broke his losing streak in Abu Dhabi where he won a silver medal. After winning a clear victory in the semifinal over Russian Alim Gadanov, he lost in the final to Belorussian Dmitriy Shershan. Tarlan's main competitor in this weight class in Azerbaijan is Nicat Sixalizada. Therefore, Tarlan must continue to collect as many qualifying points as he can.

In the 73 kg weight class, Rustam Orucov met his coaches' expectations, but it's hard for this athlete to call a bronze medal a great success. Rustam's wins over Frenchman Ugo Legrand and North Korean Kuk Hyon Hong were especially memorable. Orucov won his bouts with ippons [highest score possible in judo], which speaks to the athlete's fitness.

Unfortunately, the problem plaguing the heavyweights remains unresolved. Of those fighting in the heavyweight classes, the Azerbaijani judoka closest to winning a medal was Elmar Qasimov (100 kg). But, losing in the consolation bout to a judoka from Algeria, he failed to reach the podium. Finishing in fifth place in the 90 kg class was Mammadali Mehtiyev. Once again,there proved to be serious problems in the 81, 90 and 100 kg weight classes. A lack of competition in these categories is forcing the coaches to rely on the same athletes at every tournament. As a result, even if a judoka loses time after time, there is nobody to replace him. At one point there was even talk of remedying the problem by bringing in foreign athletes. But the coaches have abandoned this idea, preferring to work with local judokas.

In an interview with R+, head coach of the Azerbaijani national team Haciaga Haciahmadov expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance: "Overall, our judokas competed well. We must not forget that there were some very strong competitors at this tournament, each of whom is looking to score more qualifying points. I would like to make note of Tarlan and Orxan's progress. Both of them fought until the very end. As for the problem with the heavyweight classes, our athletes are simply out of luck. Though we have to remember that not all team members can win medals. Sometimes mistakes are made that deprive us of the chance to win more medals. The coaching staff will work to fixthese mistakes. We have another major tournament in Japan ahead of us. The main goal is to collect more qualifying points for the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. In some weight classes we have two strong athletes, which is a positive factor in terms of competition. In such cases, the one who goes to the Olympics is the one who gets the most qualifying points. Or,the coaching staff holds a bout between the two of them. At the moment, my aim is to help the team address its deficiencies. 2015 will be important in terms of qualifying. We must be ready for all challenges."

In December, the Azerbaijani judokas will participate in another Grand Slam tournament to be held in Japan.