Zelym Kotsoiev still dreaming

Zelym Kotsoiev of Azerbaijan has achieved his dream by becoming an Olympic champion. Reflecting on his victory, Kotsoiev expressed his overwhelming joy and disbelief at his achievement, saying, “It has been my dream to become an Olympic champion, and today I have made it come true. I am feeling great, amazing, euphoric. I have thought about this many, many times, and it took me a while to get here, and now it’s like a dream and I do not want to wake up.”

Looking ahead, Kotsoiev is determined to continue his journey in judo despite the need for a break to recover from injuries. He emphasized the importance of the sport in his life, stating, “I don’t want to stop here. I will take a pause and heal my injuries, and as soon as I am able to work, I will. If I can't train for a week or so I feel it, because judo is everything to me - the most important thing in my life.”

In the final, Kotsoiev defeated Ilia Sulamanidze of Georgia. The decisive moment came when Sulamanidze received a third shido for grip avoidance, three minutes and 52 seconds into the match. Kotsoiev, originally born in North Ossetia, Russia, had represented Ukraine at the junior level before switching allegiance to Azerbaijan in 2015.

In the first bronze-medal match, Peter Paltchik of Israel triumphed over Daniel Eich of Switzerland. Paltchik, born in Crimea, moved to Israel as a baby. Despite losing a match in Paris, he advanced through the repechage to secure his medal.

The second bronze-medal match saw Muzaffarbek Turoboyev of Uzbekistan defeating Nikoloz Sherazadishvili of Spain in just one minute and 53 seconds. Turoboyev, the 2022 world champion, also won titles at the 2022 Asian Games and the 2024 Asian Championships. Sherazadishvili, born in Georgia, moved to Spain in 2010 and gained Spanish citizenship in 2014. Uzbekistan has continued its streak, winning a judo medal at every Olympic Games since 2008.