Japan wins mixed team gold at the Baku world Judo Championships
Japan secured absolute leadership at the Baku World Judo Championships on October 11, 2026, by winning the mixed team gold medal against Russia, rounding off a tournament where they also dominated the individual events with seven gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, according to reports from prensa-latina.cu and es.euronews.com.
Mixed Team Final and Semifinal Results in Baku
The mixed team tournament at the Baku Heydar Aliyev Arena featured intense bouts to determine the podium. In the final, Shiho Tanaka provided an early advantage for Japan with a yuko, while Sanshiro Murao and Mao Arai extended the lead before Akari Omori secured the decisive victory to clinch the eighth mixed team world title for Japan, as detailed by es.euronews.com. Georgia and Uzbekistan claimed the bronze medals. During the semifinals, Japan defeated the People’s Republic of China, whereas Uzbekistan forced a golden score playoff against the Russian Federation before Tasoev earned an ippon to push his team into their first-ever mixed team final.
Latin America finished outside the top eight teams in the mixed division. Brazil served as the region’s most prominent representative in the individual tournament, earning fifth-place finishes through Nauana Silva in the 70 kilogram category and Daniel Cargnin in the 73 kilogram division.
Japan Tops Judo World Championship Medal Table
The week-long world championship gathered over 620 judocas across 93 nations. Japan topped the individual medal table, followed by Georgia with two gold, one silver, and one bronze, Azerbaijan with one gold, two silver, and four bronze, Spain with one gold, two silver, and one bronze, and the United Arab Emirates with one gold and one silver, as documented by prensa-latina.cu.
Siblings Uta and Hifumi Abe repeated their prior successes in the Azerbaijani capital. Uta Abe secured the 52 kilogram crown, adding to a combined career total of 16 podium finishes between the siblings, 12 of which are gold medals. Additional individual gold medalists for Japan included Murao in the 90 kilogram division and Haruka Kaju in the 63 kilogram category, both celebrating their second world triumphs. Akari Omori in the 57 kilogram division and Wakana Koga in the 48 kilogram category captured their first universal crowns, while Ryuga Tanaka secured his second gold following a prior victory at the 2022 edition.
International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer presented the gold team trophy. Harvest Group Chief Executive Officer Almaz Alsenov handed over the silver trophy, while federation vice presidents Laszlo Toth and Obaid Al Anzi distributed the bronze accolades.