Idman.biz
At the III CIS Games, the Azerbaijan national judo team showed the best result compared to other teams representing our country.
Our athletes won a total of six gold, seven silver and nine bronze medals.
Emin Iskandarov, the head coach of the Azerbaijan youth judo team, shared his impressions of the tournament with Idman.biz.
– Our judo team performed well. But for the first time in the history of judo in the country, representatives of the "fairer sex" won more gold medals than boys.
– Yes, we won two "golds", and they won three (laughs). In addition, the Azerbaijani team also won a gold medal in mixed team competitions, which once again showed that Azerbaijani judokas performed at a high level at the CIS Games.
– So would you rate the performance of the youth in this tournament as "excellent"?
– Of course. We must especially take into account the fierce struggle with Uzbekistan, which has three world champions in its squad. Russian judokas were also very strong.
– I would like to ask about our five athletes who won silver medals. In your opinion, should this result be considered an achievement for some, and a failure for others?
– Actually, I wouldn't say that anyone missed out on "gold". For example, in two finals, the winners were determined among themselves. In the 60 kg weight category, Zeyd Alaskarov defeated Rayal Gayibov, and in the 66 kg, Fakhri Sahibzade defeated Huseyn Huseynov. They are very close in terms of strength and the result could have been the opposite.
– Which of the current squad has a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028?
– In my opinion, at least two people have a real chance: Zeyd Alaskarov, who moved to the 66 kg weight category, and Subhan Akhundov, who competes in the heavyweight category. But this does not mean that only they can be represented at the Olympics. Time will tell…
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