JUDO – Bahrain's senior men’s judo national team bagged a sensational four medals last night, headlined by three gold, on the second and concluding day of the Amman Asian Open 2025, held in Jordan.
Azamat Chotchaev, Said Sadrudinov and Israpil Sagaipov all triumphed in their respective weight categories in the prestigious event, held under the banners of the International Judo Federation (IJF) and the Judo Union of Asia.
Chotchaev struck gold in the men’s over-100kg division, Sadrudinov won in the men’s under-100kg category, and Sagaipov was victorious in the men’s under-90kg class.
Gadzhidavud Gasanov added a bronze medal in the men’s under-81kg to complete yesterday’s four-medal haul.
Last night’s winnings brought the kingdom’s impressive medal tally to seven in the competition, including five gold, one silver and one bronze.
Bahrainis Ruslan Poltoratskii and Mukhamed Aloev were also gold-medallists from the first day of action, when countryman Ramazan Kodzhakov captured a silver medal.
Poltoratskii clinched his title in the men’s under-60kg category, while Aloev secured his crown in the men’s under-73kg division, where he beat compatriot Kodzhakov in their final.
The Bahrainis thus completed a resounding performance in the hotly contested meeting, with all seven of their judokas who participated stepping onto the podium.
Bahrain were one of 18 nations – plus another squad representing the IJF – that took part in this year’s Amman Asian Open, which featured 150 of the world’s elite judokas, both men and women.
In the men’s over-100kg category, 30-year-old Chotchaev captured his gold medal after beating Mohamed Aborakia of Egypt in last night’s title-decider. The bronze medals were shared by Ali Abbood of Iraq and Hussein Ayyal Salman of Jordan.
In the men’s under-100kg division, 23-year-old Sadrudinov took first place after defeating Omar Elramly of Egypt with an ippon in their final. Abdallah Miqdad and Waseem Alzaidaneyeen, both of hosts Jordan, were the bronze-medallists.
Sagaipov, meanwhile, was the first to strike gold for Bahrain yesterday in the men’s under-90kg final. The 24-year-old defeated Egyptian Aly Abdelaal with an ippon to claim his title. Mohammed Alhajri of Saudi Arabia and Abdullah Alkhuzam of Kuwait shared the bronze medals.
In the men’s under-81kg category, Bahrain’s Gasanov narrowly missed out on the podium’s top step but did well to come away with his bronze. The 25-year-old won with an ippon against Akash Akash of India in their match for third place. Gasanov shared his bronze medal with Ibrahim Sharahili of Saudi. Abdelrahman Abdelghany of Egypt won the gold medal after beating countryman Omar Mahmoud in their final.
Bahrain’s seven judokas were guided in the competition by national team head coach Kamal Khan-Magomedov. The kingdom’s delegation at the Jordanian capital was headed by Bahrain Judo Federation (BJF) board member Abdulla Jassim Al Mannai.
The other participating judokas in the event flew the flags of Burundi, Egypt, France, Great Britain, India, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi, Syria, Yemen, and hosts Jordan, who had the largest delegation.
Bahrain’s participation in the Amman Asian Open 2025 was within the framework of the BJF’s commitment to strengthening the presence of Bahraini judo in regional and international championships, and raising the level of the kingdom’s judokas by competing against the world’s best-ranked athletes.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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