A gala night was held in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, as part of the European Judo Championships.

Idman.biz reports that the best of Europe were awarded at the event based on the results of 2024.

Our Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) was awarded the title of "Best Male Judoka of the Year". He was presented with the award by Laslo Toth, President of the European Judo Union (EJU).

The EJU's information about the event emphasized that Heydarov started making a name for himself at an early age by winning titles at the European and World Championships among cadets and juniors: "Over time, he showed determination to realize his potential. In 2024, he became the European champion for the fourth time, followed by world and Olympic championships. Achieving such great success in one year is a rare occurrence. The owner of this magnificent achievement is the Azerbaijani representative Hidayat Heydarov."

The "Best Male Coach of the Year" in Europe was the head coach and performance director of the Azerbaijani national team, Richard Trautmann. He was presented with the award by Agron Kuka, sports director of the European Judo Union.

The EJU website noted 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 achievements in the Olympic year."

It should be noted that at the event held in Paris in February this year, both Hidayat Heydarov and Richard Trautmann were also selected as the best in the world.

Idman.biz