Since the Olympic Games, winning the gold medal, followed two days later by his teammate Zelym Kotsoiev, Hidayat has been resting; a well-deserved rest after an exceptional season.
"I don't know yet exactly when I will resume competition but I will definitely be back. I just need to recover from all these months of training and competition. I also have to digest everything that happened to me in 2024."
It must be said that this year was extraordinary for him and today his status is no longer the same within the judo family as in Azerbaijan as a whole. "I was already known in my country where judo is very popular, but the Olympic title has taken me into another dimension. I can't really go out on the street without being recognised. Everyone wants to take pictures with me, get autographs. It's exciting, but it's also difficult to manage. Anyway, I like it and I am well surrounded and well supported by the federation and particularly by Elnur Mammadli."
Elnur does indeed have the experience necessary to guide Hidyat in his new life. Olympic champion in 2008, he is now vice-president of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation. "It is a great honour for our country and for the federation to have champions like Hidayat or Zelym. They are the new heroes. After my Olympic title in 2008 in Beijing, we needed new role models for the youth. I know exactly what that means and I am happy to accompany them."
Hidayat's stop on the edge of the tatami as a photographer was obviously only temporary, but he clearly enjoyed himself. The new Olympic champion will soon be back in the centre of the arena because he is already saying, "I want to become a double Olympic champion!" His opponents have been warned.