Dayyan Boulemtafes Claims Bronze at the Baku World Championships
At just 20 years old, Dayyan Boulemtafes secured a senior world bronze medal at the Judo World Championships in Baku, delivering a standout performance for the French delegation while teammates faced early exits and injuries.
Early Setbacks for the French Squad in Baku
The campaign in Baku started with high expectations for the French team, featuring reigning world champion Joan-Benjamin Gaba, recent European medalist Dayyan Boulemtafes, and world medalist Sarah-Léonie Cysique. However, the tournament quickly turned difficult for the favorites. Gaba, returning from injury, exited in the 32nd round after a sudden defeat that dashed early gold-medal hopes.
Boulemtafes and Cysique Fall in Semifinal Rounds
While Boulemtafes and Cysique advanced deep into the tournament to reach the final four, both encountered roadblocks in the medal rounds. Boulemtafes fought hard against Ryuga Tanaka, who absorbed the Frenchman’s early attacks before scoring a decisive waza-ari. Meanwhile, Cysique suffered a rapid defeat to Akari Omori, conceding an ippon in just 20 seconds. Compounding the disappointment, Cysique sustained an injury during the exchange and was forced to withdraw from her subsequent bronze-medal bout.
A Decisive Victory Over Yehonatan Elbaz
Left as France’s sole remaining medal hope of the session, Boulemtafes faced Yehonatan Elbaz in the bronze-medal contest. Despite entering the match as the underdog, Boulemtafes controlled the action from the opening seconds. He secured an early waza-ari, added a yuko to pad his lead, and finished the bout in dominant fashion with an ippon to claim his first senior global podium finish.
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