On the third day of the European Judo Championship, the Azerbaijani national team finally came very close to the final, perhaps even a gold medal.

Idman.biz reports that two members of the national team, Zelim Tckaev (81 kg) and Murad Fatiyev (90 kg), advanced to the semi-finals with great confidence, but in the end they also had to be among the bronze medalists.

Like the prize-winners of the first two days of the competition, Ahmad Yusifov (60 kg) and Rashid Mammadaliyev (73 kg), the European Championship medal is also a first for Tckaev and Fatiyev. This result cannot be considered a surprise for both national team members. They have previously been remembered for their high achievements in the World Tour series.

If we take into account Zelim Tckaev's performance during the competition, his "bronze" may mean not only gain, but also a lost championship. After defeating his first three opponents with "ippon" in almost the blink of an eye, he faced Georgian Olympic runner-up, three-time world and European champion Tato Grigalashvili in the semi-finals. Despite his titles, Tckaev, who did not shy away from his opponent, was the more active side during the match. As a result of exhausting his opponent with consecutive attacks, our 25-year-old athlete managed to give his opponent two "shido" penalty points in the main time. The decision taken at the moment when everything was heralding our victory can be considered quite disgraceful for judo refereeing and a shameful event for the constantly developing judo sport in the world in general. Tckaev's contact with the tatami with his back while he was attacking, while the opponent had no visible active movement, was directly evaluated as "ippon" by the judges. Such an absurd decision was maintained despite repeated viewing of the footage.

Not only Tckaev's, but also the "hansoku-make" decision given in Murad Fatiyev's match, and thus the defeat of our athlete to the later champion, Italian Cristian Parlati, was not unequivocally received. So what could be the reason for the "squeezing" of both judokas? Various versions can be brought to mind. From sympathy for the titled athlete to jealousy of the success of Azerbaijani judo, which has achieved a high rate of development in recent years and won two Olympic gold medals...

Despite the injustice, our unshaken judokas won the bronze medal match with "ippon" and showed their will, which is characteristic of a true fighter.

Unfortunately, the unfair side of world sports has not yet lost its relevance. The undesirable situation faced by our athletes today is neither the first nor the last. It is not excluded that others will face this situation tomorrow and stay away from the stage they deserve... In the current situation, Tckaev and Fatiyev's "bronze" is worth "gold" for us.

Idman.biz