Colombian judoka Brenda Olaya secured a seventh-place finish in the women’s -78 kilogram category at the 2026 World Judo Championships, placing herself inside the top 10 judocas del mundo, Claro Sports reported. The 22-year-old athlete represented Colombia at the senior world championship event held in Bakú, Azerbaiyán, establishing herself as a strong competitor for the country and all of South America in world judo with an eye toward preparation for the Los Ángeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Path Through the Bakú Draw
Olaya began her participation in the tournament within Group A. She passed the first round cleanly before defeating Austrian competitor Elena Dengg in the second instance. Following that victory, her next opponent was Romanian participant Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes, whom she also defeated to advance directly into the decisive match for a spot in the main competition bracket. In that encounter, she faced German judoka Anna Monta Olek, who halted the Colombian’s winning streak and denied her a place in the semifinals. That outcome placed the Colombian representative into the bracket for the bronze medal, where her first match was against Japanese competitor Kurena Ikeda, who handed the ‘cafetera’ athlete her final defeat of the event to seal her seventh-place standing.
Colombian Athletes Compete at Mundial De Judo 2026
Alongside Olaya’s performance in the women’s -78 kilogram division, fellow representatives María Villalba and Francisco Balanta also flew the Colombian flag at the orbital event. Villalba competed in the -57 kilogram division, while Balanta took part in the -100 kilogram category. The international competition showcased Colombia’s presence at the Mundial de Judo 2026, where Olaya’s seventh-place finish successfully placed the nation among the top seven.
