A Tribute to
Rafael Aghayev
Diamond of the Karate World
Rafael Aghayev (Azerbaijani: Rafael Ağayev; born March 4, 1985 in Sumqayit, Azerbaijan SSR) is an Azerbaijani Karateka. He is a five-time World Champion, and eleven-time European Champion in his discipline
At the first championship of the Republic,
Rafael won an overwhelming victory over all his rivals and was
noted by the President of the National Karate Federation, Yashar
Bashirov, who saw great potential in him and his unusual fighting
tactics. Aghayev was very diligent and had the will to win, but he
lacked international experience. He first took part in the
National Team in 1997, at the open World Cup in Miskolc, Hungary.
His first performances were not successful at the international
level competition, but the next year he won the Open Championship
of England and performed very well from then on.
At his first World Championship among Cadets and Juniors, which
was held in 2001 in Athens, he won 3rd place in the team event,
and the following year became the European Champion. Thus, up to
this day, he holds the lead in his weight class. Despite his
young age, he managed to achieve all of the highest sporting
victories in karate; he is a multiple European Champion and
repeated as World Champion. At one World Championship he was
able to win two gold medals. This happened in 2008 at the 18th
World Championship in Tokyo, when he won in the 70 kg weight
category and in the open category. The President of the World
Karate Federation, Antonio Espinosa called him the "Diamond of
the Karate World."
Hidayat Shabanov, a senior team coach, played an important role
in Aghayev's career. For more than eight years, Shabanov trained
him and shared in his victories. For outstanding sports
achievements at the international arena, Aghayev has repeatedly
received awards from the National Olympic Committee, the
Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan Republic, and he
ranked amongst the ten best sportsmen of the country for several
consecutive years. From the official sponsor of the Federation,
the International Bank of Azerbaijan, he received the keys for a
new apartment in one of the elite areas of the city, as well as
an Audi Q7.
Currently, Rafael Aghayev is captain of the Azerbaijan team, and
is continuing to train and perform under the guidance of new
senior coach Rahman Hatamov.
