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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijani female judoka Açelya Toprak will participate in Paris Grand Slam 2025 to be held in France, Azernews reports.

The judoka who competes in the 57 kg weight category, will head to Paris to compete in the first judo tournament of the year.

So far, 28 countries have registered to participate in the competition, which will take place on February 1-2.

Açelya Toprak is an English international judoka representing Azerbaijan since 2023. She is a three times champion of Great Britain, winning the half-lightweight division at the British Judo Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2021.

In 2022, Açelya Toprak was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she competed in the women's -57 kg, winning the silver medal.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art across the country. Since 2015, the Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, judokas Hidayat Heydarov (73 kg) and Zelym Kotsoiev (100 kg) earned gold medals for Azerbaijan.