The International Judo Federation (IJF) has prepared a special analysis regarding the Paris-2024 Summer Olympic Games.
As Idman.biz reports, the institution's press service reviewed the possible course of events in each weight category.
During the analysis, priority was given to the position and current status of athletes in the world ranking. IJF predicts that Azerbaijani judoka Hidayat Heydarov, fighting in the 73 kg weight category, will face Manuel Lombardo (Italy) in the semi-finals, and Soichi Hashimoto (Japan) in the final:
"If the rankings were to be obeyed fully, the gold medalist would be Heydarov, beating 32-year-old Hashimoto to the top spot in the final. In Tokyo, at the last Games, only one world champion from the same year made it to Olympic gold and that was Clarisse Agbegnenou. Heydarov will have to do something incredible to peak again so soon after winning his first senior world title in Abu Dhabi only a few weeks ago; it’s not normal, not to be expected, but would be phenomenal to witness."
Hidayat Heydarov will appear on the tatami in the French capital on July 29.
Idman.biz
