The draw suggested an exciting third-round clash between Nagayama and Mkheidze but the French athlete’s journey came to an unfortunate end before that could happen. He was stopped in his opening contest by Ruslan Poltoratskii (BRN), who produced one of the early surprises of the day.
The path opened up for Nagayama who, with his characteristic approach of appearing as if he was not competing but simply enjoying high-level randori, advanced steadily towards the final. His journey was not without challenges, particularly against Sukhbat Byambasuren (MGL), who, backed by his home crowd, showed that he feared nobody and was ready to challenge one of the greatest names in the category.
On the upper half of the draw, the situation was more straightforward. The day’s favourite, Balabay Aghayev (AZE), confirmed his status with a series of convincing performances to book his place in the final.
The gold medal contest therefore brought together two athletes in excellent form, Balabay Aghayev and Ryuju Nagayama, each expressing a different style of judo. Entering the final with the same relaxed attitude and explosive ability to throw, but also with the willingness to take risks that can sometimes leave him exposed, Nagayama soon found himself trailing by a yuko after Aghayev scored with sumi-gaeshi.
Increasing the pressure, the Japanese athlete also received two penalties, putting himself in a difficult situation against the tactical intelligence of Aghayev. The Azerbaijani judoka, despite receiving a penalty himself, managed the final perfectly to preserve his advantage and claim a superb gold medal.
Balabay Aghayev explained, "It was an incredible way to begin the Olympic qualification period, especially since I was able to avenge past losses against world champions. My coach and I really did our homework, analysing my previous mistakes. Their styles are very classic and calm; our Azerbaijani judo is much more emotional which makes it very difficult for them to handle. Looking ahead, having the world championships at home in Baku isn't a pressure, it’s an extra motivation for me, my family and our supporters. Our team is like a tight-knit family and when someone struggles, we remind them of Baku because our goal isn't just to have one world champion, but several champions on home soil.
I also want to say thank you to Mongolia; the organisation and atmosphere here in Ulaanbaatar have been absolutely top level."
Giorgi Sardalashvili (GEO) and Sukhbat Byambasuren (MGL) met in the first bronze medal contest, in what proved to be an intense and hard-fought battle. Supported by the home crowd, Byambasuren delivered Mongolia’s first bronze medal of the tournament.
The second bronze medal contest featured Ahmad Yusifov (AZE), competing against the impressive Izhak Ashpiz (ISR), who had demonstrated throughout the day that he was among the most dangerous outsiders in the category. Once again, Ashpiz showcased all his technical mastery, throwing Yusifov with a beautiful backward combination for a clear and undeniable ippon. This is already a third grand slam medal for the very young Israeli judoka, who at just 18 years of age confirmed that he is a name to watch closely for the future.
Final (-60 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-60 kg)
