(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Laman Ismayilova
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Azerbaijani female judoka Açelya Toprak will participate in
Paris Grand Slam 2025 to be held in France,
Azernews reports.
The judoka who competes in the 57 kg weight category, will head
to Paris to compete in the first judo tournament of the year.
So far, 28 countries have registered to participate in the
competition, which will take place on February 1-2.
Açelya Toprak is an English international judoka representing
Azerbaijan since 2023. She is a three times champion of Great
Britain, winning the half-lightweight division at the British Judo
Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
In 2022, Açelya Toprak was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth
Games in Birmingham, where she competed in the women's -57 kg,
winning the silver medal.
Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively
promotes this martial art across the country. Since 2015, the
Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.
The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who
won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.
A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow,
Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European
Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin
Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.
However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not
stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics in the 73 kg division.
The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam
Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov,
Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat
Shikhalizada.
At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, judokas Hidayat Heydarov
(73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) earned gold medals for
Azerbaijan.
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