Italy Claims Three Medals at the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku
The Italian national judo team secured three medals and four additional scoring placements at the 2026 World Judo Championships held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to reports by OA Sport. Competing without several prominent athletes—including Manuel Lombardo, Christian Parlati, and the reigning -78 kg world champion Alice Bellandi—the squad delivered a performance that national coach Raffaele Toniolo described as a dream haul given the roster constraints.
The global tournament concluded following days of individual and team competition. OA Sport noted that the Italian movement has secured a higher number of podium finishes in a single World Championship edition only once before, at the 2023 event in Doha, where athletes claimed four medals. The campaign in Azerbaijan established several key results across weight classes as the international circuit looks toward qualification milestones for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Assunta Scutto Secures Silver in the -48 kg Division
Assunta Scutto anchored the Italian delegation with a silver medal in the -48 kg category, marking her fifth podium finish at the senior World Championships. After navigating a challenging season marked by physical setbacks and inconsistent results, the 24-year-old Neapolitan athlete advanced through the bracket by defeating China’s Hui Xinran, Turkey’s Merve Azak, Brazil’s Clarice Ribeiro, and Russia’s Marina Vorobeva, as detailed by economiaesport.it.
In the final bout, Scutto faced Japan’s Wakana Koga, dropping the gold-medal match to finish with silver. Despite missing out on repeating her world title performance from Budapest in 2025, Scutto’s silver carries significant weight for her career trajectory and ranking points.
Gennaro Pirelli Claims Bronze in the -100 kg Category
Gennaro Pirelli earned his first career senior World Championship medal by capturing bronze in the -100 kg division. Competing as the top-ranked athlete in his weight class, the 2000-born judoka from Naples navigated Pool A at the Baku venue by defeating Switzerland’s Daniel Eich, Spain’s Nikoloz Sherazadishvili, and Ukraine’s Anton Savytskiy, according to economiaesport.it.
Although Pirelli’s winning streak was halted in the semifinals by Georgia’s Ilia Sulamanidze, he rebounded in the bronze-medal match. He secured the podium finish by defeating Uzbekistan’s Tulkinbek Turdiev.
Odette Giuffrida Earns Bronze in the -52 kg Tournament
Odette Giuffrida added a bronze medal to the Italian tally in the -52 kg category, competing despite operating below 100% physical fitness. OA Sport reported that the veteran champion accumulated vital ranking points for the Olympic qualification pathway toward the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
According to economiaesport.it, this result marks Giuffrida’s third career medal at the senior world level, following a bronze at the 2023 championships in Doha and a gold medal performance in Abu Dhabi in 2024.
Additional Italian Placements and Coach Assessment
Asya Tavano finished fifth in the heavyweight division after defeating reigning Olympic champion Beatriz Souza before losing the bronze-medal bout to Russia’s Mariia Ivanova. In the men’s -73 kg category, Giovanni Esposito and Leonardo Valeriani both secured seventh-place finishes, a result matched by young prospect Valerio Accogli in the -66 kg tournament.
Reflecting on the team’s output, coach Raffaele Toniolo told the Italian federation’s official site that the results exceeded expectations given the physical absence of five Olympians, three of whom hold prior World Championship medals. Toniolo noted that athletes will now split between the upcoming Masters tournament in December and interim stops in Abu Dhabi and Zagubra to continue gathering Olympic qualification points.
