Odette Giuffrida captured a bronze medal at the world championships on October 5, 2026, anchoring a strong day of Italian competition that also featured Valerio Accogli securing a seventh-place finish in the 66-kilogram division, the Italian Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts Federation (Fijlkam) reported.
Giuffrida Fights Through Injury for World Bronze
Entering the tournament as the top seed in her category, Giuffrida opened her campaign by defeating Brazil’s Rodrigues three penalties to two. She then advanced past Morocco’s Iraoui with a yuko score before meeting Azerbaijan’s Mammadaliyeva in the quarterfinals. In that quarterfinal match, Giuffrida secured a first yuko via tomoe-nage, added a second with kata guruma, and sealed the ippon victory with a sukashi counter against uchi-mata.
Her path to the final was halted in the semifinals by Spain’s Toro Soler, who earned an ippon via kouchi-gari. Relegated to the bronze medal contest, Giuffrida faced Germany’s Ballhaus, who had emerged from a grueling bout against Japan’s Abe. Giuffrida secured a yuko with her signature de-ashi-barai before transitioning to the ground to lock in an okuri-eri-jime for the deciding ippon.
Reflecting on her journey to the podium after battling physical setbacks, Giuffrida shared the emotional toll of her preparation. “After Mongolia I had a very difficult period,” Giuffrida said. “An injury knocked the ground out from under me, I spent my days in physiotherapy, there was a lot of confusion in me. Someone important told me that it is precisely these days that show what you really are.”
Accogli Reaches Top Eight in 66-Kilogram Class
In the men’s 66-kilogram category, Valerio Accogli representing the Carabinieri sports section fought through the preliminary rounds to finish seventh. Accogli earned victories over Uzbekistan’s Ortikov, Ukraine’s Chernov, and Azerbaijan’s Pashayev. He dropped his quarterfinal bout on penalties to Japan’s Abe, who went on to claim the world title.
During the repechage bracket, Accogli met European champion Chopanov of Russia in a closely contested match where Accogli landed the final yuko before bowing out. In the same weight class, Matteo Piras of the Esercito military sports group exited in his opening match against Lithuania’s Polikevicius.
Coaching Staff Assesses the World Championship Campaign
Francesco Bruyere praised Giuffrida’s longevity and dedication after securing another major global podium finish at age 31.
“Odette leaves me speechless, she never stops amazing us,” Bruyere said. “Winning another world medal, fighting at these levels at 31 years old and being among the strongest for more than 15 years is never taken for granted.”
Raffaele Toniolo echoed those sentiments, pointing to Giuffrida’s tactical control throughout the preliminary rounds and Accogli’s consolidation near the top of the world ranking list.
Upcoming World Championship Bouts
Competition continues with the third day of action. Coverage will stream live on judo.tv, with medal blocks broadcast on Sky Sport Arena, Rai Play, and Rai Sport. The schedule features Giovanni Esposito of the Fiamme Azzurre and Leonardo Valeriani of the Fiamme Gialle competing in the 73-kilogram division, alongside Giulia Carnà of the Fiamme Oro in the 57-kilogram category.
