Eljan Hajiyev looming for gold

Eljan Hajiyev of Azerbaijan has experienced a remarkable ascent since moving up to the -90 kg category in May 2023. With three World Judo Tour medals and a European championship title under his belt, Hajiyev has propelled himself into a direct qualification position in the Olympic rankings.

Despite trailing his compatriot Murad Fatiyev by nearly 800 points, Fatiyev's absence from the Astana event presents an opportunity for Hajiyev to claim the top spot in the rankings. Seeded sixth in the competition, Hajiyev faces a potential quarter-final matchup against Mikhail Igolnikov of the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), a six-time grand slam winner.

The top seed in the competition is Rafael Macedo of Brazil, a double grand slam bronze medalist. Macedo aims to break his recent streak of six tournaments without a WJT medal and secure a podium finish in Astana to improve his position in the Olympic ranking list. Tristani Mosakhlishvili of Spain, the gold medalist in Astana last year, returns as the fourth seed, while Komronshokh Ustopiriyon of Tajikistan, seeded fifth, currently occupies a precarious direct qualifying position for the Olympic Games.

David Klammert of the Czech Republic enters the competition as the seventh seed following his silver medal win at the Dushanbe Grand Slam 2024. Klammert's strong performance in Dushanbe propelled him into a continental qualifying position, and he aims to continue his excellent form in Astana. Unseeded athletes such as Marcus Nyman of Sweden, John Jayne of the USA, Sami Chouchi of Belgium, and Altanbagana Gantulga of Mongolia also have the opportunity to reach an Olympic qualifying position with a strong showing in Astana.