Renata Zachová Wins Historic Bronze at World Judo Championships in Baku

Czech judoka Renata Zachová ended a 27-year drought for her country’s women’s program by claiming the bronze medal in the under-63kg division at the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Competing on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, the 26-year-old Olomouc representative battled through five matches to secure her first global championship podium and a vital injection of Olympic qualification points.

How Zachová Claimed Historic Bronze in Baku

Zachová’s tournament path ran through six total bouts in the under-63kg weight class. She opened her campaign with a victory over 21-year-old Lea Wyss of Liechtenstein, followed by wins against Spain’s Laura Vazquez and France’s European championship runner-up Manon Deketer. After three wins, she reached the quarterfinals. This time, the Dutch fighter scored a single yuko while Zachová failed to register a score against her. Tam jsem prostě zaspala, ona to dobře trefila, Zachová acknowledged to Radiožurnál Sport regarding the decisive exchange where the Dutch fighter scored a yuko. She added: Samozřejmě mě to mrzí, ale tak to prostě je a já chci pořád bojovat o medaili. Pořád je šance.

Forced into the repechage block, Zachová rebounded quickly under intense tournament scheduling. She defeated world number eight Gankgaič Bold of Mongolia, securing the win thanks to a single yuko against an opponent she knew well for her physical style. She noted that the bouts moved rapidly jako na běžícím pásu without allowing athletes time to cool down, completing three matches within a single hour. That victory propelled her into the bronze-medal match against 23-year-old Anna Kriza of Hungary, who had earlier eliminated six-time world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou of France.

Renata Zachová Wins Historic Bronze at World Judo Championships in Baku — Photo: iROZHLAS

The medal bout went deep into golden score overtime. Both fighters traded activity and scored early wazari and yuko points during regulation, with Zachová leading twice before the Hungarian leveled the score. As fatigue set in, Zachová defended against the Hungarian’s attacks and countered to secure the decisive score.

Echoes of 1999 and the Czech Judo Record

Zachová’s podium finish marks only the second time a female Czech judoka has ever medaled at a senior world championship, following Michaela Vernerová’s bronze in 1999. The achievement builds upon Zachová’s prior continental titles at the European Championships in Zagreb in 2024 and Podgorica in 2025, alongside her career best seventh place at her senior world championship debut in 2022. Born in České Budějovice on May 31, 2000, standing 165 cm and weighing 63 kg, she is a two-time winner of the domestic Judista roku poll for 2024 and 2025, and trains at JK Olomouc under coach Jiří Štěpán, who wept with joy after the medal triumph and praised her readiness to defeat anyone.

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In the final of the division, Japan’s Haruka Kadžuová successfully defended her title by defeating Kerem Primo of Israel, while Zachová’s sole conqueror Van Lieshout finished off the podium after losing the second bronze-medal match to Ench Lchagvatogoo of Mongolia.

What Lies Ahead for the Czech Delegation in Baku

With the under-63kg competition concluded, attention within the Czech camp shifts to remaining weight categories at the Baku arena. Adam Kopecký and David Klammert are scheduled to compete in the under-90kg division, while Lukáš Krpálek prepares for his bouts in the over-100kg category on Saturday.

Zachová herself intends to return immediately to her training regimen in Olomouc. S medailí nebo bez, zase budu na tréninku a budeme bojovat o ty své sny, she told Radiožurnál Sport, signaling that the global medal serves as a stepping stone rather than a destination.