BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 31. The European Judo Championships U23 Individuals have begun in Moldova's Chișinău, with Azerbaijan securing its first gold medal on the opening day of the tournament, Trend reports.
Competing in the under-66-kilogram category, Islam Rahimov defeated Dutch judoka Jochem Van Harten in the final, demonstrating remarkable determination on his way to the championship title.
Rahimov began the tournament from the round of 16, overcoming Slovakia’s Roman Dekan and Croatia’s Dani Klačar before defeating Armenian athlete Jirayr Hambaryan and Ukraine’s Nazar Viskov to reach the final.
Rahimov had previously won the European Championship title among cadets four years ago, marking another milestone in his rising judo career.
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