Azerbaijan Ranks Second at Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2022 Judo Tournament

The team of Azerbaijan ranked second in the final standings of the Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2022 judo tournament held in Israel last week.

Azerbaijani judokas won four medals, including two gold, one silver, and one bronze, in the three-day event that featured athletes from more than 30 countries.

Hidayat Heydarov and Mammadali Mehdiyev claimed top prizes in the 73 kg and 90 kg categories of the men’s competition, respectively. Yashar Najafov clinched silver in the 66 kg category, while Zelym Kotsoiev ranked third in the 100 kg category.

Hidayat Heydarov is currently the world’s third-best judoka in senior men’s 73 kg category, while Mammadali Mehdiyev is the world’s second-strongest in the 90 kg category.

Nearly 300 male and female judokas representing the Judo Union of Asia, European Judo Union, Oceania Judo Union, and Panamerican Judo Confederation attended the Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2022. The competitions ran from February 17-19 in six categories.

French judokas claimed four gold medals to rank first in the tournament’s final standings. France was followed by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Japan, and Israel.

Meanwhile, judokas from Kazakhstan have won one silver and two bronze medals, which clinched the 12th spot for the Kazakh team in the medal standings.