BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 31. Azerbaijani
national team members Ajdar Baghirov and Kenan Nasibov have won
gold medals at the European Judo Championships among athletes under
23 (U-23), held in Naples, Italy.
According to the Azerbaijan Judo Federation, Ajdar Baghirov,
competing in the under-100 kg weight category, defeated Germany’s
Yannis Baschin in the final to claim the European title. On his way
to the decisive bout, the Azerbaijani judoka defeated Ivan Kutenkov
(Ukraine), Borna Butijer (Croatia) and Ronald Pröl (Austria).
Kenan Nasibov, competing in the over-100 kg category, also
finished the day undefeated. He defeated Serbia’s Vidak Maljevic in
the final, successfully defended his title and became U-23 European
champion for the second consecutive time. On his way to the final,
Nasibov overcame Luka Ivankovic (Croatia), Yan Rigo (France) and
Morteza Suhani (Germany).
Thus, the Azerbaijani national team finished the individual
competition with three gold medals and took first place in the
overall team standings. Earlier, Islam Rahimov (under-66 kg) had
also become U-23 European champion for the second consecutive
time.
