Azerbaijan has made history at the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku, claiming a record seven medals and climbing to second place in the standings behind Japan as more than 620 athletes from over 90 countries competed in the Azerbaijani capital.
The host nation concluded the individual events with one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
Eight years after first hosting the event, Baku welcomed the world’s leading judoka for seven days of individual competition, running from 4 to 10 October.
The individual events saw two world titles decided each day, beginning with the men’s under-60kg and women’s under-48kg categories and culminating in the heavyweight divisions on the final day.
Competition was fierce across several weight categories. The men’s under-100kg division had the largest field, with 56 athletes, followed by the under-73kg category with 50 and the under-90kg category with 49.
Among women, 48 athletes competed in the under-63kg category, while the under-70kg and under-78kg divisions each had 44 competitors.
Azerbaijan fielded the largest delegation, with additional entries across the men’s weight categories. Other major teams included Japan, South Korea, Russia, the U.S., Brazil, Mongolia, France, Uzbekistan and Italy.
The host nation has achieved its best-ever medal haul at a single World Judo Championships, securing seven medals, including one gold, two silver and four bronze, and rising to second place in the standings behind Japan.
Ahmad Yusifov (60kg) was crowned world champion, while Zelim Tckaev (81kg) and Ushangi Kokauri (100kg) secured silver medals. Rashid Mammadaliyev (73kg), Omar Rajabli (81kg), Murad Fatiyev (90kg) and Kanan Nasibov (+100kg) claimed bronze.
Murad Fatiyev delivered the historic fifth medal, claiming bronze in the men’s under-90kg category after defeating Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov.
The bout went into Golden Score, where Fatiyev earned a decisive yuko to secure his first career World Championships medal.
His victory helped Azerbaijan surpass its previous World Championships medal record, with the final tally reaching seven medals.
Japan’s Sanshiro Murao claimed gold in the men’s under-90kg division, defeating compatriot Goki Tajima in an all-Japanese final.
Murao sealed the title with an ippon, judo’s highest score, extending his unbeaten run to 27 matches.
The triumph further strengthened Japan’s lead in the medal standings during the individual competition.
Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili secured his country’s first gold medal of the championships with a hard-fought victory over Azerbaijan’s Zelim Tsakaev in the men’s under-81kg final.
The closely contested bout went into Golden Score before Grigalashvili clinched victory in the fourth minute of overtime.
Tsakaev took silver, adding another medal to Azerbaijan’s record-breaking haul on home soil.
The World Judo Championships will conclude in Baku on 11 October with the mixed team competition, following the completion of the individual events on 10 October.
Two factual corrections from the original information: Ushangi Kokauri competed in the +100kg category, not 100kg, and the IJF lists Zelim's surname as Tckaev. These corrections should also be applied to the medal paragraph and the Georgia section.
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