The Senior World Judo Championships, held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, are underway.

Today, Zelim Tskayev (81 kg), a judoka representing Neftchi Sports Club and competing for the Azerbaijani national team, began his campaign in the round of 32. He defeated Victor Sterpu (Moldova), Nugzari Tatalashvili (United Arab Emirates) and Matthias Casse (Belgium) before overcoming Kazakhstan’s Abilaykhan Zhubanazar in the semifinals to secure his place in the final.

In the title bout, Tskayev faced Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili. Despite a strong performance, he lost to his opponent and claimed the silver medal at the World Championships.

Omar Rajabli, another Neftchi Sports Club representative competing in the same weight category, defeated Slovenia’s Nace Herkovič in the repechage contest. He then beat Kazakhstan’s Abilaykhan Zhubanazar in the bronze medal bout to finish third in the world.

It is worth recalling that on the opening day of the championships, another Neftchi judoka, Ahmad Yusifov (60 kg), won the gold medal.

The prestigious tournament, which runs until October 11, features 622 judokas from 93 countries. Azerbaijan is represented by 24 judokas across 13 weight categories.