1. Early Life and Background
Hidayat Heydarov's early life was marked by a significant family relocation and his introduction to judo at a young age, which laid the foundation for his distinguished career.
1.1. Childhood and Education
Heydarov was born on 27 July 1997, in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. His family, originally from the village of Alxasava in Azerbaijan's Goychay District, moved to Baku, Azerbaijan, when he was three years old. At the age of six, Heydarov's father enrolled him in judo at the Specialized Children and Youth Sports School of Olympic Reserves No. 13, located near the Neftchilar metro station. In 2014, he furthered his education by enrolling in the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports.
1.2. Early Coaches and Influences
Heydarov's first coach was Tarlan Hasanov, who continued to be his coach as of 2024, guiding his development from the very beginning. Beyond his direct coaches, Heydarov drew inspiration from prominent figures in the sport and beyond. He cited Elnur Mammadli, an Azerbaijani judoka who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, as a significant influence; Mammadli later became one of Heydarov's coaches. Additionally, Heydarov named Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor as a personal hero.
2. Junior Career
Heydarov demonstrated exceptional talent and achieved significant success throughout his junior career, progressing through various age categories and securing multiple European and World titles.
His early achievements include a bronze medal at the Azerbaijan Youth Championship in 2012. In 2013, he became the European Cadet champion in the -60 kg category and also secured a bronze medal at the 2013 European Youth Olympic Festival in the same weight class. The following year, in 2014, he continued his success by winning the European Cadet championship in the -66 kg division.
As he moved into the junior and U23 categories, Heydarov's performance continued to impress. In 2015, he earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Abu Dhabi in the -66 kg category. During this tournament, he notably lost to Masaya Asari of Japan in the semi-finals in Golden Score but expressed dissatisfaction with the result by refusing a handshake. The same year, he took a bronze medal at the European U23 Championships in Bratislava.
Transitioning to the -73 kg category, Heydarov continued his winning streak. In 2016, he became the European Junior champion in Málaga and also claimed the European U23 championship title in Tel Aviv. He also won the European Cup in Orenburg that year. His junior career culminated in 2017 when he became the World Youth (U-21) Champion in Zagreb, defeating Bilal Çiloğlu of Turkey in the final.
3. Senior Career
Hidayat Heydarov's senior career is marked by consistent high-level performance and numerous medal victories across the most prestigious international judo competitions, culminating in Olympic and World Championship gold in 2024.
3.1. Olympic Games
Heydarov made his Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Competing in the men's -73 kg category, he delivered a dominant performance, ultimately winning the gold medal. In the final match, he defeated Joan-Benjamin Gaba of France with a Kosoto-gari after a nearly nine-minute contest. This victory made him the first male judoka in history to win both the World Championships and the Olympic Games in the same year. Notably, Heydarov did not participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as his teammate, Rustam Orujov, was selected for the -73 kg category.
3.2. World Championships
Heydarov has achieved significant success at the World Judo Championships, securing multiple medals throughout his senior career.
His debut at the World Championships in 2017 saw him reach the semi-finals, where he lost to Soichi Hashimoto of Japan. He then lost the bronze-medal match to Odbayar Gandbaatar of Mongolia, finishing in 5th place.
In 2018, competing at his home World Championship in Baku, he earned a bronze medal, again losing to Hashimoto in the semi-final.
He followed this with another bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo, where he lost to his teammate Rustam Orujov in the semi-final but defeated Behruzi Khojazoda of Tajikistan in the bronze-medal match.
At the 2021 World Judo Championships, he finished 5th after another loss to Hashimoto.
In 2022, at the World Championships in Tashkent, he secured another bronze medal.
He placed 5th at the 2023 World Judo Championships.
Heydarov achieved his first World Championship gold medal at the 2024 World Championships in Abu Dhabi. In the final, he overcame Itsuki Ishihara of Japan, coming back from an early waza-ari to secure the victory with a Kata-guruma in the closing moments of the match.
3.3. European Championships
Heydarov has an outstanding record at the European Judo Championships, becoming a four-time champion and achieving a unique distinction.
In 2017, at the European Championships in Warsaw, he won his first senior European gold medal in the -73 kg category, defeating Musa Mogushkov of Russia in the final. This victory made him the only judoka to have won all four European titles: Cadet, Junior, U23, and Senior. In the team event at the same championship, his team initially secured third place after Heydarov contributed to three consecutive wins. However, the team was subsequently disqualified and placed 5th due to a teammate's forfeiture.
He earned a silver medal at the 2018 European Championships in Tel Aviv, where he was defeated by Ferdinand Karapetyan of Armenia in the final.
At the 2019 European Games in Minsk, which also served as the European Judo Championships, Heydarov secured a bronze medal. He notably defeated both Karapetyan and Lasha Shavdatuashvili of Georgia in repechage matches.
He reclaimed the gold medal at the 2022 European Championships in Sofia.
Heydarov successfully defended his title at the 2023 European Championships in Montpellier, marking his second consecutive European gold.
His dominance continued into 2024, as he won his third consecutive and fourth overall European Championship title at the 2024 European Championships in Zagreb.
Additionally, he earned a bronze medal at the 2023 European Championships Open in Pristina.
3.4. Other International Competitions
Heydarov has consistently performed well in various other significant international tournaments, accumulating numerous medals.
He has a strong record in Grand Slam events, including:
- Bronze at the 2017 Paris Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2019 Baku Grand Slam.
- Bronze at the 2021 Paris Grand Slam.
- Bronze at the 2021 Baku Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2022 Tel Aviv Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2022 Budapest Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2022 Baku Grand Slam.
- Bronze at the 2023 Antalya Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2023 Baku Grand Slam.
- Gold at the 2023 Tokyo Grand Slam, where he secured his first victory against Soichi Hashimoto in eight encounters.
- Gold at the 2024 Baku Grand Slam.
In Grand Prix tournaments, Heydarov has also achieved notable results:
- Bronze at the 2017 Antalya Grand Prix.
- Bronze at the 2018 Antalya Grand Prix.
- Gold at the 2019 Hohhot Grand Prix.
- Gold at the 2021 Zagreb Grand Prix.
At the World Masters event in Saint Petersburg in 2017, he won a bronze medal, defeating Odbayar Gandbaatar of Mongolia, to whom he had lost earlier at the World Championships. This marked his first World Masters medal.
Other significant competition results include:
- Gold at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.
- Gold at the European Open Minsk in 2017.
- Silver in the individual event and bronze in the men's team event at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples.
- Bronze at the Military World Games in 2019, competing in the -81 kg category.
- 7th place at the 2019 Grand Slam Abu Dhabi, also in the -81 kg category.
4. Fighting Style and Techniques
Hidayat Heydarov is known for his distinctive and effective competitive approach in judo. His characteristic technique is often described as a "fast stealth tackle," which is a variation of the Kata-guruma (shoulder wheel). This technique involves a rapid tackle, where he positions his head under the opponent's armpit and uses their arm to rotate and throw them.
5. Awards and Recognition
Hidayat Heydarov has received significant accolades and achieved remarkable milestones throughout his career. In 2017, the European Judo Union recognized his exceptional talent by naming him the best young judoka in Europe, following his achievement of winning all four European titles across the Cadet, Junior, U23, and Senior categories.
His most significant achievements came in 2024 when he made history by becoming the first male judoka to win both the World Judo Championships and the Olympic Games in the same year. As of August 11, 2024, Heydarov holds the top position in the IJF world ranking, with a total of 6,000 points.
