Azerbaijan’s SC Gabala karate challenger Rafael Ahgayev won silverware in the 2nd European Games, Minsk, Belarus. He beat Joe Kellave (Great Britain) by 3:2 and Erman Eltemur (Turkey) by 1:0 in the group stage. The red-black fighter, 75 kg, ended in 0:0 against Gabor Harspataki (Hungary) reaching to the semifinal as the best challenger of the group. Five-time world champion and 11-time European champion defeated Pavel Artamonov (Estonia) with 2:1. Then he lost the all-important match to Stanislav Horuna by 0:4.

Just cast your mind back to four years ago, when Baku hosted the first European Games and Aghayev won the karate championship of the continental contest.

There were six other challengers within the Azerbaijan provisional team in the EG. Boxer Alfonso Dominguez took the champion title as Javid Chalabiyev ended up in the round of 8, and another boxer Kamran Shahsuvarly finished in the round of 16. Judoka Karamat Huseynov also stopped in the round of 16 as another judoka Ushangi Kokauri finished individual matches fifth and stopped the team matches in the round of 16. And anther karate challenger Rafiz Hasanov (67 kg) lost the group stage.

It’s worth to notice Azerbaijan won five golds, ten silver and thirteen bronze medals in the Minsk-2019.