Four days – four golds Azerbaijani judokas’ willpower victory at the Islamic Games

In the first days of the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, Azerbaijani athletes did not perform as expected in all sports. But let’s take it step by step.

Our table tennis players have been somewhat disappointing so far. They entered the competition almost from the opening day of the Games and only last evening managed to win their first medal – a bronze claimed by our women’s team. At the recent CIS Games, Russian table tennis players were fighting for major victories, but in Riyadh there are no Russians, Chinese, or representatives of any other leading table tennis nations. Yet, as the saying goes, the situation remains the same.

On the other hand, our swimmers are fighting for medals. Although they have not yet won gold, they have already secured three medals – one silver and two bronzes. The situation is similar for weightlifters, who have won three times as many medals – nine in total – but unfortunately, no golds yet.

However, what Nuray Abilova (48 kg) achieved – and she is not even 16 yet – is worth more than gold! She won three bronze medals (snatch, clean & jerk, and total) competing against athletes much older and more experienced. From our other weightlifters, we still expect first-place finishes, as without them, it will be hard to call our overall performance in this sport a success.

In boxing, six of the seven Azerbaijani athletes entered in the tournament – including two women – won medals. It is, however, disappointing that among the four who reached the finals, only Saidjamshid Jafarov (80 kg) emerged victorious, showing that our homegrown athletes are still trailing behind the foreign competitors.

And finally, judo. Ten medals, and three of them gold! On the surface, a fantastic result. But, as the saying goes, appetite grows while eating – it is frustrating that Ushangi Kokauri (over 100 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) stumbled on seemingly easy wins, taking silver and bronze, respectively.

Honestly, in this tournament, I had higher expectations for them than for Eljan Hajiyev (90 kg), who also won a bronze in the individual event but redeemed himself in the team competition by brilliantly winning the final match against an Uzbek judoka. As for the once-consistent Kotsoiev, he now changes like the Baku wind – shifting his direction daily along with our moods – while another Olympic champion, Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg), is showing stability, winning once again in this tournament.

The ones who truly impressed, however, were our female judokas, especially Konul Aliyeva (48 kg), who lost only in the final, and Sudaba Aghayeva (70 kg), who not only triumphed in the individual category but also performed a small miracle in the team event. Despite trailing her opponent by two “yuko” and a “waza-ari,” she managed not only to catch up but to win! You had to see it with your own eyes – no words or emotions could ever capture that match.

Personally, I am also delighted that in this weight category we now have such a highly competitive athlete! And not just appeared, but truly burst onto the international judo scene! Her determined victory over the Uzbek competitor is clear proof of that, especially considering that to say Uzbek boxing is on the rise would be an understatement.

So, as of today, our athletes have won 29 medals (4 gold – 9 silver – 16 bronze), placing Azerbaijan 6th in the medal standings. Leading the table is Türkiye (39-13-9), followed by Uzbekistan (8-12-8) and Egypt (6-4-9).

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively  for Caliber.Az