Azerbaijani Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov is expected to recover from his injury before the start of the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku. The Azerbaijan Judo Federation stated that Heydarov's injury is not serious and that he is expected to be fit for the 2026 Senior World Judo Championships. However, his inclusion in Azerbaijan's squad will ultimately depend on a decision by the coaching staff and medical team.
Recall that Hidayat Heydarov withdrew from the Budapest Judo Grand Slam 2026 because of the injury. The 2026 World Judo Championships will be held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku from October 4 to 11. The individual competition will take place from October 4 to 10, with the mixed team event scheduled for October 11.
The championships are expected to feature leading judokas from around the world competing for world titles in the men's and women's weight categories. The event will conclude with the mixed team competition on October 11. Hidayat Heydarov is an Azerbaijani judoka and the Olympic champion in the men's 73 kg category.
He won Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games, defeating France's Joan-Benjamin Gaba in the final. Hidayat Heydarov is also a four-time European champion, with continental titles in 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2024. In 2026, the judoka moved up to the 81 kg category and continued his international career in the new weight class.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Extract — continue reading at the source.
