Japan took both gold medals on offer on the third day of the 2026 World Judo Championships, being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Akari Omori won in the -57 kg category and Ryuga Tanaka in the -73 kg.
Omori claimed her first world title by beating the reigning champion, Eteri Liparteliani, in the final, in a contest decided in extra time. The Japanese judoka turned her opponent and pinned her to the mat to secure victory, having faced her toughest bout of the preliminary rounds against compatriot Momo Tamaoki.
Tanaka had a demanding draw: he beat the top seed in the category and, in the final, defeated Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov of the United Arab Emirates, the world number three. The bout was decided by a single score, a yuko earned with an ouchi-gari.
Afterwards, Tanaka said he was pleased to see judo growing not only in Japan but around the world.
