Azerbaijan to the Worlds without Orkhan Safarov

With 18 medals for Azerbaijan in the history of this young country is strong in judo. The men dominate with fifteen medals and one world title for Elkhan Mammadov, the current head coach of the men’s team. Last year in Baku the team won two medals, in 2017 a best ever with four medals including two finals for Rustam Orujov and Orkhan Safarov, the man who is missing in this edition in Tokyo at the end of this month.

The Azeri team will go without the lightweight Safarov and he responds on his social media. Safarov: “I am not in the national team for these World Championships. Despite my great support from the Federation, my problems with the coach made me stay out of the team. I did not want to participate, because I was not an athlete who needed to be reviewed having won three European medals and two World Championships medals. None of the participants had a big medal.”

“The reason that I am responding is that many people ask me why I won’t go to the World Championships.”

Safarov debuted at World Championships level in 2013 in Rio and took a bronze medal. 2014 was nog a huge success with two wins and one contest lost. In 2017 though Safarov reached the final against Naohisa Takato and defeated 2015 World Champion Yeldos Smetov and Rio Olympic bronze medallist Urozboyev. At the worlds in his own country un 2018 Safarov stranded in his third contest against Papinashvili who had his revenge for his lost medal contest against Safarov in 2013. At the Rio Olympic Games Safarov lost the bronze contest against Takato who dominates this category with three World titles.

Instead of Safarov Davud Mammadsoy will be sent to Tokyo who has no international result since 2016 when he won two bronze medals. Mammadsoy is a former number one of the Junior World Ranking List and 2015 runner-up at European U23 Championships.  

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