Azerbaijani judoka Rustam Orujov hopes to beat Ono in the future

“Although I lost in the final, I’m happy going home with a medal. I’m tired today but will be prepared again for next competitions,” said Azerbaijani judoka Rustam Orujev commenting on his defeat to Japanese athlete Shonei Ono in the world judo championship final held in Tokyo. The bout between him and Ono was a repeat of the 2016 Olympic final in Rio. “I was prepared. Ono is a strong athlete. After several fights against him I could not win yet. Hopefully in the future I can change that.” Ono confirms. “We’ve been competing against each other since the junior level. I’m happy this rivalry keeps me sharp. I hope we continue to face each other in big finals.”

Another squad member, bronze winner Hidayat Heydarov (also 73 kg division) congratulated all the winners. “Congrats to all,” said delighted Hidayat Heydarov who repeated his 2018 bronze on home soil in Baku. “It’s my first time in Tokyo and I’m very happy winning the bronze medal in the legendary Budokan.”

Notably, Rustam Orujov beat Hidayat Heydarov in the semifinal.