Ai Tsunoda claimed the gold medal in the under-70kg division at the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, defeating Austria’s Michaella Polleres through three shidos for passivity, as reported by as.com. The victory makes Tsunoda the fifth Spanish judoka to reach the top of a world championship podium, following in the footsteps of Miriam Blasco, Isabel Fernández, Niko Sherazadishvili, and Fran Garrigós.
Baku Final and the Path to the World Title
Tsunoda secured the gold medal in Azerbaijan when Polleres picked up three penalties for a lack of competitiveness. The Austrian competitor had previously denied Tsunoda a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To reach the gold medal match in Baku, the 24-year-old Spaniard defeated Sudaba Aghayeva of Azerbaijan, Nika Koren of Slovenia, Sanne van Dijke of the Netherlands, Ingrid Nilsson of Sweden, and Aleksandra Andric of Serbia.
Tsunoda Grew up in the Family Dojo
Born in Lleida to a Japanese father, master Go Tsunoda, and a French mother, judoka Céline Roustant, Tsunoda grew up around the sport. Her parents opened Dojo Lleida the same year she was born, meaning she spent her earliest days on a tatami. “If you take judo away from me, I’m not much. There is no difference between what happens outside and inside the tatami,” Tsunoda said in an interview with as.com.
Training in Japan and the University of Tokai
In 2023, Tsunoda moved to Japan to study martial arts at Tokai University, returning to the sport’s traditional homeland. She married fellow judoka Takezo Kishi, who competes in the under-66kg category and is pursuing the right to compete for Spain. Supported by the Team España Olympic preparation program, her parents travel regularly to Japan to help fine-tune her training sessions. “I need them, I need their adjustments,” Tsunoda acknowledged regarding her parents’ coaching input.
Resetting After the 2021 Mental Cleanse
Before breaking through with the senior world title, Tsunoda won junior world championships in 2021 and 2022, earned an absolute European bronze medal in 2024, and collected multiple Grand Slam podium finishes. In 2021, facing a period where her judo lacked fluidity, she shaved her head to execute what she described as a “cleanse” to drop mental baggage before working her way back to global success.
Spain’s Medal Count in Azerbaijan
Tsunoda’s gold medal marked Spain’s fourth podium finish at the World Championships in Baku. The delegation’s haul also included silver medals from Ariane Toro in the under-52kg class and David García Torné in the under-66kg division, alongside a bronze medal won by Ayumi Leiva in the under-52kg category.
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