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.
