2024-03-03 12:36:18
Today the Grand Slam judo tournament ends in Tashkent. The last day of the competition will take place without the participation of Azerbaijani athletes who competed in the first two days. And despite the lack of medals, the start was memorable for the performance of Omar Rajabli (81 kg), who was one step away from bronze.
As reported by İdman.biz, Tashkent became the fourth stop of the World Judo Tour. The test of our team’s readiness for the main competitions of the first half of the year was the home Grand Slam, where the tatami hosts won three gold, two silver and three bronze awards, taking first place in the overall standings. Rajabli also distinguished himself on the Baku tatami, losing in the final to his more experienced teammate Zelim Tskayev. Silver for Omar was a clear calling card for performance in the elite, and also further increased the internal competition in the weight category up to 81 kg. After all, if at the moment there is a struggle for an Olympic ticket between Tskaev and Mollai, then the bright performance of the junior suggests that already in the next cycle he will be one of the main contenders for a trip to Los Angeles.
After the Baku silver, the judoka soared in the world ranking to 55th place, and the points that brought him fifth place in Tashkent were further advanced in the table of ranks. In Uzbekistan, Rajabli won a number of striking victories, including over the owner of the tatami, Sharofitdin Boltaboev. He also dealt with the always extremely awkwardly fighting Hungarian Attila Ungvari. In both cases, our judoka decided the fate of the bouts in extra time, twice earning the “waza-ari” rating.
In the semi-finals, Omar met with Olympic bronze medalist Shamil Borchashvili. He spectacularly won the Austrian in Baku, and in Tashkent he again proved to be a tough nut to crack for a more experienced opponent. The opponents fought for 7.5 minutes before Rajabli received a third warning. And in the fight for bronze, he lost to the Ukrainian Mikhail Svidrak and took fifth place. This result brought Omar 360 points – he began to steadily gain ratings.
Meanwhile, after two days of the Grand Slam, France took the lead (3-1-1), followed by Uzbekistan (1-1-2) and Germany (1-0-1).
Zaki Feyzullaev
İdman.biz