Idman.biz
Azerbaijan finished the World Universiade held in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany with four medals - two gold and two silver, surpassing Canada, Finland, Portugal, Georgia, Belgium, Sweden, Kazakhstan, and other countries, taking 24th place in the overall standings.
According to Idman.biz, the main source of success was the group team in rhythmic gymnastics.
Laman Alimuradova, Gullu Agalarzade, Darya Sorokina, Kamilla Aliyeva, and Yelizaveta Luzan have confirmed their status as world leaders.
The Azerbaijani team won the all-around final, won gold in the five ribbons exercise, and came second in the "three balls + two hoops" performance.
Becoming the main supplier of medals at the 2025 Universiade, Azerbaijani gymnasts demonstrated leadership qualities and made a serious claim for the new Olympic cycle. In addition, the group team reminded that rhythmic gymnastics is one of the visiting cards of Azerbaijani sports.
Our judoka Eljan Hajiyev (90 kg) added silver to the medal collection. This is the second consecutive Universiade award for the 23-year-old athlete: he won a bronze medal in Chengdu in 2023, and now he has managed to improve the result by moving up one step.
Those who were expected to win medals in Germany won them, although there could have been more. However, we must understand that the vast majority of those representing Azerbaijan at the 2025 Universiade are athletes who have not yet won leadership in their sports and do not have experience in large-scale international competitions.
For example, the Azerbaijani national judo team mainly consists of athletes with limited experience in high-level competitions. Of course, Eljan Hajiyev is an exception - despite his age, he has already managed to participate in the Olympic Games, win the title of European champion, and become a bronze medalist of the world championship.
Moreover, if we compare the results of the competition held in Germany with the results of the 2023 Universiade, it is impossible not to see progress in terms of quality. At that time, Azerbaijani students won nine medals (0-3-6), but took only 38th place without a gold medal.
Now, four medals, including two of the highest medals, allowed them to rise 14 places. As is known, it is gold that plays a decisive role in the medal count - ten, even a hundred silver medals can never surpass one gold. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible not to appreciate the gold medals of Azerbaijani gymnasts.
However, as we noted above, there could indeed have been more medals. In any case, the 2025 Universiade once again emphasized the importance of developing student sports in the country. Since such tournaments are an important stage in their sports career, it is necessary for universities in Azerbaijan to increase attention to the training of student athletes. Against the background of the new Olympic cycle and the fight for licenses for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, student sports can play a key role in the formation of future leaders of national teams.
Teymur Tushiyev
Idman.biz
