A gala evening was held as part of the European Judo Championship held in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.
The best of Europe were awarded at the event based on the results of 2024, Idman.biz reports.
Azerbaijani Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) was awarded the title of Best Male Judo Player of the Year. The award was presented to him by the President of the European Judo Union (EJU) Laszlo Toth.
EJU's information about the event emphasized that Heydarov began to make a name for himself at an early age by winning titles in the European and world championships among cadets and youth: "Over time, he showed determination to realize his potential. In 2024, he became the European champion for the fourth time, followed by the world and Olympic championships. It is a rare event to achieve such great success in one year. The owner of this magnificent achievement is the representative of Azerbaijan Hidayat Heydarov."
In Europe, the Best Male Coach of the Year was named Richard Trautmann, the head coach and performance director of the Azerbaijani national team. The award was presented to him by Agron Kuk, sports director of the European Judo Union.
EJU website states the following about Trautmann: "In 2024, this coach achieved a result that is considered a great success for any nation, winning two European, two world and two Olympic championships. The leader of the Azerbaijani team can be proud of both the magnificent achievements of the athletes he leads and his personal successes in the Olympic year."
Both Hidayat Heydarov and Richard Trautmann were also named the best of the year worldwide at an event held in Paris in February of this year.
Idman.biz
