Difficult luxury dilemma for Azerbaijan after victory Elmar Gasimov

Azerbaijan is in a luxury situation with the Elkhan Mammadov and Elmar Gasimov as a choice for the Olympic Games. But last year it is Gasimov who makes the best results. One month in advance of the EUropean Games in Baku Gasimov took the Masters Title in Rabat.

After a first round win against Jose Armenteros (CUB) and a second against the 2013 world champion, Elkhan Mammadov the current world champion, Lukas Krpalek (CZE), entered the final after a last victory against Toma Nikiforov (BEL). For the gold medal, he was opposed to Elmar Gasimov (AZE), winner of the Tbilisi and Samsun Grand Prix this year. Totally dominated by Krpalek, Gasimov seemed to be incapable of posing any danger the world champion, but the Azeri was actually the first to score waza-ari. With less than a minute to go, the mission still looked complicated for Gasimov who got thrown but only for yuko. But this was too late for Krpalek, who will probably have some regrets tonight for not having put more pressure on his opponent.

The first bronze medal fight opposed the winner of the 2014 Tashkent Grand Prix, Ramadan Darwish (EGY) and the three times world medallist and Olympic medallist Henk Grol (NED), who already has two medal at the masters as well. With a superb aerial uchi-mata, Darwish scored ippon to offer the first medal to Africa on the occasion of this edition of the World Judo Masters.

The second bronze medal fight opposed Martin PACEK (SWE) and his sutemi-waza techniques and Toma NIKIFOROV (BEL), who defeated Cyril MARET in the first round and Ramadan DARWISH (EGY), in quarter-final. PACEK scored the first with a o-uchi-gari for yuko and then seemed to perfectly control the situation, playing with the penalties, until 23 seconds before the end of the fight. Taking the opportunity of an attack from the Swedish, probably lacking of a bit of control, NIKIFOROV propelled him over his shoulder with a ura-nage for ippon.