Hidajat Hejdarow won gold in the men’s 73-kilogram category at the Judo Grand Slam of Baku. The crowd went wild and Azerbaijan won a second gold medal.

On the second day of the competition, the Judo Grand Slam of Baku again drew crowds into the event hall in the eastern part of the Azerbaijani capital. Once again, many young judo enthusiasts were there to cheer on their role models and to pick up a few tricks of the trade.

Among other things, they saw Poland’s Angelika Szymanska win gold in the 63-kilogram weight class, celebrating her first ever Grand Slam victory. Vladimir Barta, the sports director of the International Judo Federation, presented the award to the Polish athlete.

“The atmosphere is amazing. The children here love judo. It is a very popular sport in Azerbaijan. I am very happy to be here, to have won and to be able to celebrate with the children,” said Szymanska.

There was even more jubilation when local hero Hidajat Hejdarow won gold in the men’s 73 kilogram category. He faced Petru Pelivan from the Republic of Moldova in the final. But Hejdarow was unbeatable, also thanks to the support of his fellow countrymen. He secured the win with a Seoi-Otoshi throw.

Elnur Mammadli, 2008 Olympic champion and now deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani Judo Federation, was responsible for the medal ceremony.

“I hope that my colleagues will repeat this success and that there will be more Olympic champions from Azerbaijan,” said Hejdarow.

In the 70-kilogram weight category, Elisavet Teltsidou was the winner in Baku. The Greek won Grand Slam gold for the fourth time, and was honored by Antonio Castro, the ambassador of the International Judo Federation.

In the 70-kilogram weight category, Elisavet Teltsidou was the winner in Baku. This was the fourth time that the Greek had won Grand Slam gold. She was presented with her award by Antonio Castro, the ambassador of the International Judo Federation.