Judo is always an amazing sport to watch or take part in, one that provides challenge, not just from fighter to fighter, but in our thinking and analysis. This category challenged the established order in Baku, yielding an immensely exciting day of judo.
As the judoka entered the arena, the volume rose ten-fold! Ahmad Yusifov had already given his crowd much to be thankful for and they were determined to continue giving their support right until the end. Sherzod Davlatov, however, had no intention of buckling under the pressure of Yusifov’s home-ground advantage.
Davlatov arrived with a powerful style and a positive attitude. He attacked and attacked and eventually caught Yusifov with a ko-uchi-gari for a waza-ari. This seemed to light a fire under the Azerbaijani fighter and he found a new gear.
Davlatov, not feeling that there had been a change in his opponent, continued to come forward and attempted to pick Yusifov up but he was ready and countered beautifully, scoring his own waza-ari. His transition was also on point and not settling for just an equaliser, Ahmad Yusifov circled and held his opponent for a second waza-ari.
Azerbaijan has their first world champion of these championships, a new hero who won gold as well as the hearts of his nation. After the final he said, “I always tried to keep positive thoughts in my mind and to believe that I could win, especially in front of this crowd. Their support was incredible. Every single person in the arena gave me energy and helped me throughout the competition. I felt that support very strongly and it pushed me to give everything I had. Now I am world champion and I feel great. This title belongs, in part, to everyone who supported me here today.”
What a contest! This 4 minutes had absolutely everything: speed, strength, skill, drama, intensity, acrobatics, courage. There was nothing missing.
As one attacked, the other made split-second decisions to defend or counter. Impressive awareness accompanied every choice and the accumulation of movements created a magnetic contest; it was impossible to turn away. A counter from Nagayama put a yuko on the board after 2 and a half minutes but there was still no indication of who would earn the nod at full time.
Nagayama held his ground, despite looking as though he may have picked up an injury during the later stages of the fight. Bliev could not repeat his bronze medal winning performance of 2025. Nagayama also missed out on a repeat performance but the bronze medal in Baku will certainly be some consolation; two world championship medals in as many years is no easy ask.
Giorgi Sardashvilli had tasted gold in the past and wanted to recreate the feeling of stepping on to the world championship podium. A positive, attacking style led him to do just that in Baku!
He out-attacked Yung Wei Yang, putting him under a great deal of pressure from the outset. As Yang began to collect penalties, Sardalashvili only grew more determined. Yang attempted to adjust but the Georgian had his strategy and a perfect rhythm.
A small chop-down from Sardalashvili created the conditions for some momentum to take hold and he spun Yang on to his back from a position already considered to be ne-waza. There he held him down for ippon. This young Georgian astounded everyone when he won his world title two years ago, but now he is proving that it wasn’t luck but the beginning of an impressive career.
Final (-60 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-60 kg)
