Azerbaijani karate athletes won three tickets to the final on the very first day of 50th European Championship in Istanbul, and thereby, at least guaranteed getting a silver medal. Ayhan Mamaev (-84 kg), Rafael Agayev (-75 kg) and Niyazi Aliyev (-67 kg), having won four fights have proven themselves worthy of the highest awards.
A. Mamaev, also noting that took revenge from last year's champion - Greek Georgios Chonasdosa, to whom he lost at the European Championships in Finland, beating him with a score of 3:1. Rafael Aghayev, who missed last year's European and World Championships due to injury, won last year's European Champion Italian Luigi Busa, thereby proved to be the strongest in his weight category. N.Aliyev enters the tatami in the final for the second year in a row.
In addition, Tural Baldjanly competing in kata competitions managed to reach the battle for third place. His opponent will be a multiple winner of the World and European Championships, the Frenchman Dack Vu Duc Minh. In the final, Niyazi Aliyev will meet with Turk Burak Uygur, Rafael Agayev with the German Noah Bitsch and Ayhan Mamaev with the Italian Nello Maestri.
Fighting for the gold will be on March 21. And on March 20 will start team competitions.
Our men's team will act with the following composition: Tural Agalarzade, Panah Abdullayev, Asiman Gurbanli, Ayhan Mamaev, Orhan Heydarli, Rafael Agaev and Shahin Atamov and the members of the women's team: Nurana Aliyeva, Ilaha Gasimova, Farida Abiyeva and Irina Zaretskaya. Fights for the prizes will take place on March 22. Men's team will defend the title of champions.