Japan dominates as 2026 Judo World Championships conclude in Baku

The 2026 Judo World Championships in Azerbaijan's capital came to a close with Japan claiming gold for the mixed team event of the competition, defeating Russia 4-1 in the final.

The Japanese victory marked the eighth time during the championships that the national anthem of Japan was played. Russia took silver, while Georgia and Uzbekistan secured bronze in the team event.

After seven days of individual competition, 18 national teams competed for the final medals in the mixed team event at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. Georgia added another bronze to its successful campaign, finishing second in the overall medal table with two gold medals from Tato Grigalashvili and Ilya Sulemanidze.

Uzbekistan also produced a strong performance. After defeating Germany 4-2, the team overcame Mongolia to claim bronze.

For hosts Azerbaijan, the team competition ended with a 4-1 defeat to Japan in the Round of 16. Azerbaijan had earlier defeated Austria 4-0.

Despite the early team exit, Azerbaijan finished third in the overall medal standings with seven medals.

• Azerbaijan makes judo history with record seven medals at World Championships in Baku

Japan topped the overall table with seven gold medals and 13 medals in total.

The championships brought together 192 judokas from 18 countries for the final team event, concluding a week of competition in Baku.

One of the Japanese team members said the squad had spent the previous year training together and studying their rivals with the goal of winning the tournament.

“I really like Baku as a city and the way competitions are organised here,” the judoka said, adding that tournaments in Baku were among their favourites.

After seven days of individual competition and a final day of team battles, the 2026 Judo World Championships have now concluded in Baku.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) flag was passed to the Kazakhstan Judo Federation on Saturday (10 October) during the official handover ceremony in Baku, for the 2027 World Judo Championships next competition in Astana.

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