The World Judo Championship continues in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Hidayat Heydarov, a judoka from the “Neftchi” Sports Club and the leader of our national team, achieved great success in the world championship. Competing in the 73 kg weight category, he started from the the second round. The four-time European champion defeated judoka Akil Gjakova from Kosovo and then Salvador Rocha from Spain in the round of 16, advancing to the quarterfinals. In this stage, our judoka won Daniel Cargnin from Brazil to reach the semifinals. Just one step away from the final, our athlete defeated German judoka Igor Wandtke, securing his place in the final. In the final, his opponent was Japanese judoka Tatsuki Ishihara. Hidayat Heydarov won his strong opponent by ippon and claimed the title of world champion.
It should be noted that Hidayat Heydarov won a gold medal for our country after 11 years. Thus, after gaining independence, our judokas won their first gold medal at the World Championship in 2013. That year, at the World Championship held in Brazil, Elkhan Mammadov, judoka of our club, became the world champion.