Azerbaijan Wins Second Olympic Gold in Paris

Judoka Zelym Kotsoiev has clinched the second gold medal for Azerbaijan in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

On Thursday, Kotsoiev outclassed Ilia Sulamanidze in the under 100 kg category after the latter was issued the third shido (violation) for a false attack and eliminated.

Kotsoiev's path to the final was through impressive victories over Israel's Peter Paltchik in the 1/4 round and Muzzarfarbek Turoboyev from Uzbekistan in the semi-final.

"I fought all the way to the last seconds, I believed in my win, all the hard work and so many years have gone into this. My family at home always supported me and I believed even in those final seconds that I could win it. It is like a dream that I don’t ever want to wake up from!" Kotsoiev told the media.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva extended in a phone call their congratulations and wished the Olympic champion continued success.

In response, Kotsoiev expressed his pride in seeing the Azerbaijani flag raised and the national anthem played during his victory and affirmed his dedication to pursuing further achievements in the future.

Kotsoiev's victory in Paris marked the second gold medal in judo for Azerbaijan. Earlier, Hidayat Heydarov claimed the title in the -73 kg class.

With the triumph in the Olympics, the Azerbaijani judoka has won three gold medals since November 2023, when he topped the European Championship podium in Montpellier, France. In May, Kotsoiev was crowned the World Championship in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. Currently, he tops the International Judo Federation rankings in -100 kg category.

Kotsoiev holds a rich trophy collection, including bronze medals at the European Championships in 2018, 2020, and 2021. He also secured bronze at the World Championships in Doha in 2023 and in Tashkent in 2022. Kotsoiev was crowned Junior World Champion in Zagreb in 2017 and won the European Junior title the same year in Maribor.

Among his achievements, there are also victories at the Grand Prix Antalya in 2018 and the Grand Slam in 2021. Additionally, he became the European Cadet Champion for the U18 category in both 2014 and 2015. In 2023, he clinched gold at the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv.