Draw held for the 2026 European Junior Judo Championships in Podgorica
The first opponents for Azerbaijani judokas at the upcoming European Junior Championships in Podgorica have been determined.
Yulduz Salimov2 min read
The draw for the 2026 European Junior Judo Championships took place in Podgorica, Montenegro. The tournament, scheduled for September 3–6, will feature 409 athletes from 44 countries. Azerbaijan will be represented by 14 judokas—nine men and five women—competing across 10 weight categories.
Individual competitions are scheduled from September 3 to 5, with the mixed team tournament taking place on September 6. In 2024, the Azerbaijani team won the European Junior title in the mixed team event by defeating France in the final, with France reclaiming the title in 2025.
On the first day of competition, September 3, athletes in the women's 48 kg, 52 kg, and 57 kg categories, as well as the men's 60 kg and 66 kg categories, will take to the tatami. In the women's division, Nargiz Akhmedova (48 kg) will face Mariana Pereira of Portugal, Gulgaz Musayeva (48 kg) will face Xenia Vainer of Moldova, Aysun Mammadova (52 kg) will face Margarita Miroshnichenko of Ukraine, and Ayten Verdiyeva (57 kg) will face Marketa Korcakova of the Czech Republic. Khadija Gadasheva (57 kg) will begin her performance in the Round of 16, where she awaits the winner of the match between Nika Tomc (Slovenia) and Luca Veg (Hungary).
Among the men on the first day, Aykhan Mirzazade (60 kg) will face Stratos Charalambous of Cyprus, and reigning European Junior Champion Magomed Musayev (66 kg) will face his first opponent, Robert Jakimov of Estonia.
In the following days of the tournament, Abil Yusubov (73 kg) will meet Frenchman Kassim Brosso. In the 81 kg category, Jasur Ibadli will compete against the winner of the match between Egor Talaka (Belarus) and Sergey Karakin (Ukraine), while Mehdi Abbasov will face Montenegrin Petar Pajovic. In the 90 kg weight class, Aslan Kotsoev will face Bulgarian Anton Dimitrov, and Suleyman Shukurov will face Frenchman David Yurkovsky. Davud Namazli (100 kg) will face Lithuanian Majus Genys in the Round of 64. Ramazan Ahmadov (+100 kg) will begin his campaign in the Round of 16 against the winner of the match between Martin Sedlak (Czech Republic) and Luka Ivankovic (Croatia).
Source: azernews.az
