For the First Time in the Country’s History: Ukrainian Judoka Wins Gold at Youth Olympic Games

17-year-old Ukrainian judoka Khazar Heydarov won a gold medal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. This is not only Ukraine’s first medal at this year’s competition but also the country’s first-ever judo gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

According to ShoTam, this was reported by Suspilne Sport.

The Ukrainian athlete competed in the under-66 kg weight category. On his way to the final, he confidently defeated two opponents: he beat the representative of Senegal by ippon before the end of the bout, while his Hungarian opponent was eliminated by disqualification.

In the final bout, Heydarov faced Canada’s Anes Mati. The regulation four minutes ended without either athlete scoring, so the contest went into overtime (golden score). In the fourth minute of overtime, the Canadian received his third penalty (shido), resulting in an automatic defeat. The Ukrainian was awarded a 100:0 victory.

Before this tournament, Khazar Heydarov’s greatest achievements were two gold medals at the European Cadet Judo Championships. It is worth noting that Ukrainian judokas had never won gold at the Youth Olympic Games before. The national team’s previous record consisted of one silver medal (2014) and two bronze medals (2010 and 2018).

It is worth recalling that a three-time European weightlifting champion won Ukraine’s first medal at the senior World Championships.