Gennaro Pirelli secured the bronze medal in the -100 kg category at the 2026 World Judo Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, finishing on the podium after a semifinal defeat to Georgia’s Ilia Sulamanidze. Pirelli entered the international tournament as the world-ranking leader in his weight class on the strength of four consecutive tournament victories, including a European Championship title. His run to the podium marked the third medal for the Italian team at the Baku championships, following Assunta Scutto’s silver in the -48 kg division and Odette Giuffrida’s bronze in the -52 kg category. This also marked Pirelli’s first career senior world championship medal, seven years after collecting a junior world bronze in 2019 in Marrakech in the -90 kg category, while Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko claimed the first ever world title for Ukraine under the flag of the United Arab Emirates by triumphing in the -78 kg division over Kaila Issoufi.
Semifinal Defeat and Golden Score Controvery in Baku
Pirelli advanced smoothly through the preliminary rounds of the pool, posting wins over Switzerland’s Daniel Eich, Nikoloz Sherazadishvili of Spain—who was a world champion in 2021—and Ukraine’s Anton Savytskiy. The 26-year-old Neapolitan athlete competing for the Fiamme Oro met his match in the semifinal against Sulamanidze. Sulamanidze subsequently claimed the world title by defeating Japan’s Dota Arai during a golden score period in the final. That championship bout concluded with a video review decision that awarded the decisive waza-ari to Sulamanidze after it had initially been signaled for Arai.
Securing the Bronze Medal Against Turdiev
Relegated to the afternoon final block, Pirelli faced Uzbekistan’s Tulkinbek Turdiev, ranked No. 85 in the world, in the contest for the bronze medal. Pirelli controlled much of the bout but accumulated penalties that left him one caution away from a disqualification before he secured a yuko score to seal the victory. Pirelli expressed his initial disappointment at missing out on the gold medal he had targeted, while acknowledging that the result validated his rigorous training schedule. “Dalla prossima settimana tornerò sul tatami perché la sbavatura in semifinale mi è costata cara,” Pirelli said, noting he would return straight to training to address the mistake that cost him in the semifinal. He added: “Prima medaglia e primo final block per me ad un Campionato del Mondo.”
Toniolo and Parlati Praise Pirelli's 2026 Season
National Technical Director Raffaele Toniolo praised Pirelli’s overall campaign in the 2026 season, pointing to his European title in April alongside two Grand Slam victories and a Grand Prix triumph leading into the world championships. Enrico Parlati, who was in the chair during the competition, described the athlete as an exceptionally dedicated competitor who never turns down training hours. Pirelli also dedicated his performance to his friend Christian Parlati, who missed the Baku tournament due to an injury.
Final Day of Individual Competition
Following the conclusion of Pirelli’s matches in the -100 kg division, the individual events at the National Gymnastics Arena move into their final day. The schedule concludes with Asya Tavano representing the Fiamme Azzurre and Erica Simonetti competing for the Esercito in the women’s +78 kg category.
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