His semi-final against Taiki Nakamura (JPN) was a contest balanced on a knife edge. With two penalties against him, Aghayev found himself under mounting pressure. As the contest drew to a close, Nakamura appeared to have scored and secured a decisive hold-down on the buzzer. For a few seconds, it seemed the outcome had been sealed but drama intervened. The score was reviewed and annulled. The osaekomi was cancelled. Aghayev had been granted a lifeline.
In golden score, tension thickened with every exchange. Then came the real decisive moment. Seizing a fleeting opening, Aghayev drove into a hold-down and controlled his opponent for five crucial seconds, just enough to end the contest. From the brink of defeat, he had secured a second consecutive grand slam final, underlining both his resilience and his current dominance.
On the other side of the draw, Ahmad Yusifov (AZE) delivered a landmark performance. Already a two-time grand slam bronze medallist, the 26-year-old advanced to the first grand slam final of his career, confirming his steady rise among the elite.
The final therefore became an all-Azerbaijani affair. It was tense and tactical, the two judoka knowing each other inside and out. Neither was willing to yield ground. At the start of golden score, Aghayev carried a slight disadvantage, having accumulated two penalties during normal time. Beyond the gold medal itself, there was perhaps even more at stake, the symbolic battle for national supremacy at -60 kg. With his Paris victory, Aghayev had held the upper hand in recent months.
As the contest wore on and the athletes stood level on two penalties each, it was Yusifov who struck. Launching a seoi-otoshi as a last resort, he scored at the crucial moment to claim his first grand slam gold medal. Aghayev, after gold in Paris, had to settle this time for silver, though his remarkable run continues.
In the first bronze medal contest, Mehrzod Sufiev (TJK) faced Nakamura. The Japanese judoka allowed his opponent little freedom and secured a clear and decisive ippon with a beautifully executed reverse seoi-otoshi.
Luka Gadelia (GEO) also stood one win away from the podium but to secure bronze he had to overcome Doston Ruziev (UZB), urged on by a passionate home crowd, a formidable challenge in any arena. Massively supported by the local fans, Ruziev rose to the occasion. After controlling his opponent on the ground and securing a hold-down, he claimed the host nation’s first bronze medal of the day, igniting celebrations inside the arena.
Final (-60 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-60 kg)
