Baku National Gymnastics Arena Hosts 2026 World Judo Championships
Ahmad Yusifov claimed the gold medal in the men’s 60kg division at the 2026 World Judo Championships on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at the Baku National Gymnastics Arena, topping a 43-entrant field.
Yusifov Wins as Nagayama and Sardalashvili Take Bronze
Yusifov’s victory over Davlatov established the top two spots on the podium, while Japan’s Ryuju Nagayama and Georgia’s Giorgi Sardalashvili collected the bronze medals. The tournament’s fifth-place finishes went to Ayub Bliev and Taiwan’s Yung Wei Yang. Rounding out the podium placings in seventh were Jonathan Yang of the United States and France’s Romain Valadier-Picard, completing the upper tier of the 43-competitor category.
Golden Score Bouts Define Opening Round Action
The tournament’s opening round featured extended action across multiple matches, with several contests extending into Golden Score. Ukraine’s Dilshot Harmatov opened proceedings by defeating Belarus’s Artsiom Karasau via kuzure-kesa-gatame at 3:28. Spain’s Luis Barroso-Lopez advanced past Hungary’s Chanad Feczko via hiki-komi-gaeshi in Golden Score at 1:26, while Kazakhstan’s Aman Bakytzhan overcame Cuba’s Jonatan Charon with a sumi-otoshi after 23 seconds of extra time.
Mongolia’s Tuvshintulga Tumenjargal defeated Uzbekistan’s Bakhrom Boturov on tactics via uchi-mata-sukashi. India’s Harsh Singh scored a waza-ari with tai-otoshi to defeat Australia’s Pedro-Carlos Antunenet, and Portugal’s Tralayan Fernandes-Bee pinned Niger’s Moussa Yahaya with yoko-shiho-gatame in 1:04. Australia’s Joshua Katz secured a win over Chile’s Kobe Chavez using kuzure-kesa-gatame at 2:11.
Additional preliminary bouts saw Ukraine’s Artem Reshuk defeat Mongolia’s Sukhbat Byambasuren via uki-waza in Golden Score at 45 seconds, and America’s Christopher Velasco advance past Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Alsayari after three shido penalties at 1:09 of Golden Score. Silver medalist Davlatov secured his early advancement by defeating Tajikistan’s Loik Kudubdinov with uki-otoshi in Golden Score at 1:09, while Hungary’s Marton Andrasi defeated El Salvador’s Jairo Moreno following three penalties at 3:57.
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