Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) have been nominated for the "Judoka of the Year" title by the International Judo Federation (IJF).
Seven judokas are vying for this honor, all of whom are Olympic champions, Idman.biz reports.
In addition to the Azerbaijani stars, the nominees include Hifumi Abe and Takanori Nagase (Japan), Teddy Riner (France), Lasha Bekauri (Georgia), and Eldos Smetov (Kazakhstan). The winner will be announced at the end of the year.
Both Heydarov and Kotsoyev achieved remarkable success this year. In addition to claiming Olympic gold medals, they were crowned world champions. Heydarov also secured his fourth European Championship title, further cementing his legacy.
Idman.biz
