Ilham Zakiyev

Ilham Zakiyev was born on March 3, 1980 in Sumgayit in the family of an ordinary factory worker. The family has 3 brothers and 1 sister. Ilham Zakiyev started judo at the age of 15. Ilham achieved success in a very short time. He won the competition, took part in the Azerbaijani judo championship among youth and became the Republican champion in sambo among juniors.

In 2011, director Mahsim Mahsimov made a short film about the life of Ilham Zakiyev, Light and Darkness. Ilham Zakiyev is also interested in football and is a loyal fan of Baku's Neftchi Baku club.

According to Ilham Zakiyev, he lost his sight at the age of 19 and is in a difficult situation. The support of his family and close friends during this time helps Ilham to overcome such a difficult period. In 2002, he met with Minister of Youth and Sports Abulfaz Garayev, who helped Ilham travel to Moscow for treatment. However, Russian doctors say that modern science is not yet able to restore vision to such severely injured people. Returning to Azerbaijan from Moscow, Ilham again appealed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to find out what kind of sport he could compete in. Here he is offered to participate in Paralympic judo competitions.

Ilham Zakiyev was awarded the Order of Glory in 2008 by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his achievements in Azerbaijani sports. In 2009, he was awarded the honorary title of Honored Master of Sports. Zakiyev Ilham Azizaga oglu - Azerbaijani judoka participating in the Paralympic Games, two-time Paralympic Games champion, two-time world champion, five-time European champion, honored master of sports, "Glory" order, He is a laureate of the Progress Medal, the International Golden Plane Awards established by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the winner of the Baku 2015 European Games for the first time.