Azerbaijani karateka crowned at European Championship in Bulgaria

Azerbaijani karateka Ulvi Mammadov (+84 kg) has been crowned at the 13th European Shotokan Championships held in Bulgaria.

The holder of the second-degree black belt defeated all his rivals at the 13th European Championship organized by the World and European Shotokan Federation (WSF/ESF) in the Bulgarian city of Kranevo, Azernews reports.

On the way to the final, he beat the Romanian, Georgian and the Czech karate fighters.

Earlier, Ulvi Mammadov won bronze in team fights at the 25th European Fudokan, silver medals at the 2021 WSF World Championship and the 2022 Asian Karate Championships.

He also won the world champion title after the 12th World Countries Shotokan Karate Championships.

Azerbaijani karate team is considered one of the strongest teams in Europe and the World.

Founded in 1993, the National Karate Federation is a full member of the World Karate Federation (WKF).

Over the past few years, national karate fighters have won prestigious international tournaments, European and World championships.

As for now, Azerbaijani karate fighters are getting ready for the 2023 European Games to be held in Poland from June to 2 July.

The national team includes Eminagha Guliyev (60kg), Tural Aghalarzada (67kg), Farid Aghayev (75kg), Asiman Gurbanli (+84kg) as well as female karate fighters Fidan Teymurova (50kg), Madina Sadigova (55kg), Irina Zaretska (68kg) and Farida Aliyeva (+68kg).

Around 96 karate fighters from 20 countries will compete in individual kata and kumite in five different weight categories.