Mohammed Lahboub secured a bronze medal in the men’s +100 kg division at the African Senior Championships 2026 held in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 25, 2026. The 26-year-old judoka representing the Judo Club Fenati Spilimbergo earned Italy’s first medal in the heavyweight category at the continental event, marking his third career bronze at the African Senior Championships.
Lahboub’s path to the podium began with a victory over South Africa’s Matthew Van Der Walt, achieved through a combination of wazari scores, sumi gaeshi, and osae komi techniques. His campaign faced a setback in the quarterfinals against Egypt’s Mohamed Aborakia, who capitalized on an imperfect sumi gaeshi attempt by Lahboub to secure an ippon via osaekomi after the Moroccan-Italian athlete failed to control the follow-up.
In the repechage rounds, Lahboub defeated Angola’s Piter Da Silva in a closely contested match. Da Silva held a two-yuko advantage with only five seconds remaining before Lahboub reversed the outcome with a sumi gaeshi wazari followed by an osaekomi wazari awasete ippon. The bronze medal match pitted Lahboub against fellow Angolan Ismael Correia, a bout that remained scoreless until golden score period, where Correia received his third shido penalty after 30 seconds of extra time, awarding Lahboub the victory by penalty.
This bronze medal adds to Lahboub’s growing continental medal collection, which previously included a silver from the 2019 African Games in Rabat (100 kg), bronzes from Dakar 2021 (100 kg) and Casablanca 2023 (+100 kg), and fifth-place finishes in Oran 2022 (100 kg) and Cairo 2024 (+100 kg). His consistent performance over seven consecutive African Senior Championships appearances underscores his status as one of Africa’s most reliable heavyweight judokas.
The African Senior Championships 2026 served as a key qualifier for the 2027 World Judo Championships and provided valuable ranking points for Olympic qualification ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Lahboub’s result contributes to Morocco’s standing in the International Judo Federation world rankings, where he held the 111th position in the senior men’s +100 kg division as of April 26, 2026, with 162 points.
Judo Club Fenati Spilimbergo, based in the northeastern Italian town of Spilimbergo, has supported Lahboub’s international career while he competes for Morocco. The club, founded in 1957, maintains active programs in judo, karate, artistic gymnastics, and self-defense disciplines.
Looking ahead, Lahboub is scheduled to compete in the European Open circuit later in 2026, with his next confirmed appearance at the Benidorm Open on May 18, 2026, where he previously placed fifth in 2025. These events will be critical for improving his world ranking position and securing direct qualification for major championships.
For continued updates on Mohammed Lahboub’s judo career and upcoming competition schedule, fans can follow official announcements from the International Judo Federation and the Judo Club Fenati Spilimbergo.
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