Judoka Anna-Maria Wagner is world champion for the second time after 2021. In the weight class up to 78 kg, the sports soldier from Ravensburg defeated the Italian Alice Bellandi in the final in Abu Dhabi in the golden score.
After the final, she had two reasons to celebrate: With her victory, she also secured her Olympic ticket for Paris in the internal German duel with two-time European champion Alina Böhm.
Wagner, Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago, entered the World Championships in the Persian Gulf as third in the Olympic world rankings, Böhm as fifth – unlike the World Championships, which conclude the qualification phase, only one starter per nation is allowed at the Summer Games in Paris (26 July to 11 August).
The German Judo Association now has two medals in Abu Dhabi, Mascha Ballhaus won bronze in the up to 52 kg class on Sunday. The last individual competitions will take place on Thursday, and on Friday it will be about medals in the mixed team competition, which has been Olympic since 2021.
