Japan may have taken the top two spots in the men’s -90kg category at the World Judo Championships in Baku, with Murao Sanshiro and Tajima Goki claiming gold and silver, but there was plenty for Europe to celebrate too. Azerbaijan’s Murad Fatiyev and Serbia’s Boris Rutovic both fought their way onto the podium, taking a bronze medal apiece.
One preliminary-round fight in particular had the power to change the fate of the rest of the category.
Reigning world champion and Paris 2024 silver medallist Murao Sanshiro (JPN) came face to face with Georgia’s double Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri, the very man who had denied him Olympic gold in Paris.
It was a rivalry that had, until now, gone entirely the Georgian’s way. Five meetings, five wins for Bekauri. With so much history between them, their third-round encounter was one of the most eagerly awaited fights of the day. Yet, after all that anticipation, it took Murao just 38 seconds to turn the tables. One ippon and Bekauri was out of the competition, his hopes of a world medal gone before the day had really begun.
It was a tactic he said he had been working on specifically to beat Bekauri.
Serbia’s Nemanja Majdov also looked in top shape in Baku. The former world champion had his sights set on another world medal, and a lightning-fast ippon against Great Britain’s Lachlan Moorhead suggested he was in the form to make it happen.
Unfortunately for Majdov, Murao stood in his way too. The Japanese judoka was proving almost impossible to stop, and the Serbian was forced to take the longer route towards a medal through the repechage.
France also had a strong presence in the closing stages through Olympic medallist Maxime-Gael Ngayap-Hambou, who reached the final block and kept French hopes of a medal alive. With Majdov and Ngayap-Hambou both competing for bronze, Europe had several opportunities to finish the day among the medallists.
The first bronze medal contest brought together Majdov and Azerbaijan’s Murad Fatiyev, giving the home crowd another opportunity to get behind one of their own athletes. As the contest moved into golden score, the Azerbaijani took control and Majdov struggled to find a way through. Fatiyev eventually caught the Serbian with sumi-gaeshi to score yuko and secure the bronze medal, a record fifth medal for Azerbaijan, its highest total ever at a World Judo Championships.
Serbia still had another opportunity to reach the podium, with Boris Rutovic facing France’s Ngayap-Hambou in the second bronze medal contest.
Rutovic took an aggressive approach, and the contest grew increasingly difficult for the Frenchman, who picked up two penalties as the Serbian kept applying pressure. Ngayap-Hambou remained dangerous, but his defensive reactions eventually proved costly.
Just 35 seconds into golden score, a third shido against Ngayap-Hambou ended the contest. For Serbia, Rutovic’s bronze was an important result, especially after Majdov just missed a medal.
The final was an all-Japanese affair between Murao and Goki Tajima, in which Murao completed an exceptional day with a waza-ari followed by ippon to defend his world title.