Zelym Kotsoiev clinches historic second world title for Azerbaijan

The U100kg category at the Abu Dhabi World Championships 2024 showcased some of the most electrifying judo action, culminating in Zelym Kotsoiev of Azerbaijan winning the gold medal. Kotsoiev's victory marks a significant milestone as he becomes only the third Azerbaijani to win a world judo title, following in the footsteps of Hidayat Heydarov, who triumphed in the U73 kg category at the same event.

In the final, Kotsoiev faced Shady ElNahas of Canada, who had been in outstanding form throughout the day. Kotsoiev's decisive moment came early in the contest when he executed a hikikomi-gaeshi to score waza-ari. Despite ElNahas's dominance for the remainder of the match, including forcing Kotsoiev to accumulate two penalties, the Azerbaijani held on to secure the victory and his first senior world title.

Bronze Medal Contests

The bronze medal matches were equally thrilling. In the first contest, Japan's prodigious 19-year-old Dota Arai overcame the experienced Jorge Fonseca of Portugal. Arai's uchi-mata earned him a waza-ari just 15 seconds in, and he followed up with another uchi-mata in the third minute to score ippon, claiming his first senior world medal.

The second bronze medal match featured Nikoloz Sherazadishvili of Spain against Kyle Reyes of Canada. The match was a tactical battle between right-versus-left grips, with Sherazadishvili aiming to utilize his hip throws while Reyes sought to leverage his leg techniques. After a grueling nine-minute contest, Reyes was penalized for a false attack, giving Sherazadishvili his first world medal since moving up from the -90 kg category.

Path to the Finals

ElNahas's journey to the final was marked by impressive victories, including defeating Aaron Fara (AUT) with tsuri-goshi and tani-otoshi, and securing a tactical win over Zelimkhan Bashaev (BRN). In the quarter-finals, he overcame Dota Arai (JPN) in golden score with a ko-soto-gake after an initial uki-otoshi.

Kotsoiev's path was equally formidable. He dispatched Jonghoon Won (KOR) using ko-uchi-gari and a hold down. He then defeated Peter Paltchik (ISR) with an uchi-mata and tsuri-goshi combination. His quarter-final against Nikoloz Sherazadishvili was a gripping contest that Kotsoiev won in golden score. In the semi-final, Kotsoiev outgripped Jorge Fonseca, throwing him with uchi-mata and securing a hold down to confirm his spot in the final.

Reyes advanced through Pool B with victories over Zlatko Kumric, using uchi-mata followed by kami-shiho-gatame, and Simeon Catharina, with a ko-uchi-gari to o-uchi-gari combination. His quarter-final against Dzhakhongir Madzhidov was a marathon match, but he prevailed with a yoko-shiho-gatame pin.

Fonseca showcased his typical explosive judo, defeating Koussay Ben Ghares (TUN) with sode-tsurikomi-goshi and Anton Savytskiy (UKR) with ippon-seoi-nage. In the quarter-final, he overcame George Udsilauri (GER) with another sode-tsurikomi-goshi, securing a spot in the semi-finals.

Zelym Kotsoiev's victory adds another chapter to Azerbaijan's growing legacy in judo, following Hidayat Heydarov's win earlier in the championship. The dynamic performances from all competitors in the -100kg category not only highlighted the depth of talent in judo but also provided judo fans with an unforgettable display of athleticism and skill. As Azerbaijan celebrates its two world titles, the achievements of Kotsoiev and Heydarov will inspire the next generation of judokas in their country.