Kaïla Issoufi reached the women’s -78kg final at the World Judo Championships in Baku, securing an opportunity to fight for the gold medal against Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko. The 25-year-old French judoka advanced through a demanding bracket on Friday, October 9, 2026, ensuring her first senior world medal after previously claiming bronze at the European Championships in April and winning her first Grand Slam in Tashkent in February.
Path Through the World Championship Bracket
Exempt from her opening match, Issoufi opened her tournament campaign in the -78kg division by defeating Lithuania’s Migle Julija Dudenate by ippon after 3 minutes and 17 seconds. She followed with another ippon victory over Ukraine’s Anna Kazakova in 2 minutes and 18 seconds. In the quarterfinals, Issoufi faced Japan’s Kurena Ikeda, ranked fourth in the world, whom she had previously beaten in Lausanne in August. In the semifinals, the French competitor met top-ranked Anna Monta Olek of Germany, the reigning world silver medalist, defeating her via yuko to clinch a spot in the final.
French Delegation Results in Baku
Issoufi’s progression to the final stands as a breakthrough for the French women’s team in Baku, where the nation previously collected two bronze medals through Shirine Boukli in the -48kg category and Dayyan Boulemtafes in the -73kg division. In contrast, veteran Audrey Tcheuméo exited the tournament in the round of 16. The 2011 world champion defeated Britain’s Emma Reid with a waza-ari before falling by ippon to Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko in just 1 minute and 49 seconds. On the men’s side, the French campaign concluded without any selections in the -100kg and +100kg categories, leaving the male delegation without a medal.
Upcoming Final Matchup
Issoufi will face neutral-competing or Emirati-representing Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko—noted as a Ukrainian-born competitor representing the UAE and ranked second globally—in the gold medal contest. Issoufi holds a prior victory against Lytvynenko from their previous encounter in Dubai last year.
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