Haji Aliyev

Haji Aliyev, a three-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist, established himself as a dominant force in freestyle wrestling early in his career. After securing a silver medal at the European Cadets Wrestling Championship in Daugavpils in 2008, he followed this with another silver at the European Juniors Championships in Zrenjanin in 2011. Aliyev achieved his first major senior title at the 2014 European Wrestling Championships in Vantaa, earning a gold medal in the 61 kg division. This was swiftly followed by his inaugural World Championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships in Tashkent, also in the 61 kg category, cementing his trajectory as one of Azerbaijan’s most decorated athletes.

The year 2023 proved to be highly successful, including a gold medal at the European Wrestling Championships in Zagreb (70 kg), a silver medal at the Zagreb Open, and a gold medal at the World Military Championships in Baku. Looking ahead, Aliyev secured a quota place for Azerbaijan at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris through his performance at the European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament.