The national judo team’s athlete, Askerbey Jerbekoff, secured third place and a bronze medal in the under-81 kg weight category at the Baku Grand Slam Judo Championship. The tournament, held in the Azerbaijani capital, brought together 258 competitors from 36 countries.
The Baku Grand Slam is a prestigious event overseen by the International Judo Federation and serves as a ranking competition for athletes aiming to qualify for the 2025 World Championship.
Jerbekoff’s journey to the podium involved five matches. He began by defeating Georgia’s Irakli Beroshvili in the round of 32, advancing to face Hungary’s Attila Ungvari in the round of 16, where he secured another victory. In the quarter-finals, he overcame Tajikistan’s Behrozi Khojazoda before reaching the semi-finals, where he fell to Canada’s Francois Gauthier Drapeau. In the bronze medal match, he faced Azerbaijan’s Omar Rajabli and secured a decisive win.
Following this achievement, Dr. Faisal Khalid Kanoo, Vice President of the Bahrain Combat Games Council and President of the Bahrain Judo Federation, expressed his delight at Jerbekoff’s performance. He emphasized that this success serves as a strong motivator for Bahraini judo and commended the athlete’s technical skills and determination. Dr. Kanoo also acknowledged the efforts of the coaching and administrative staff in preparing the athlete for such a high-level competition, expressing hope for continued success in future tournaments.
