"I'm currently ranked first in the world, but of course, I don't plan to be satisfied with that. My goal is to continue my winning streak next year."
Azerbaijani judoka Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg), Olympic and World Champion, stated in an interview with the European Judo Union (EJU) website.
EJU.net, which presented the top-ranked judokas for 2024, highlighted that Azerbaijan has not settled for just one victory in the World Championship and the Olympics in 2024: "Azerbaijan did not only celebrate one victory in the World Championships or Olympic Games in 2024, but they were able to bathe in the glory once more, as Zelym KOTSOIEV hailed the flag and sounded the national anthem in Abu Dhabi and Paris.
By some coincidence, both Kotsoiev and Heydarov took the Junior World title in 2017 in their respective categories and exactly seven years later have found themselves on top of the world once more. Kotsoiev has consistently found himself on the podium, completing his collection of European titles at cadet, junior and senior level, and as an athlete on the IJF World Judo Tour, can boast 11 Grand Slam medal; three of which are gold."
Kotsoyev emphasized that this year has been very productive for him: "This year has been very productive for me. The result of my hard work was victories in two main tournaments; the World Championships and Olympic Games. Now I have reached the first place in the World Ranking, but of course I am not going to stop there, next year I intend to continue my sure-fire range of competitions.
The motivation is that in the history of Azerbaijan sports, there has never been a two-time Olympic Champion, my friend Heydarov and I, want to go to Los Angeles and go down in history as two-time Olympic champions. See you in 2025! "
Idman.biz
