Final: Kaila Issoufi (FRA) vs Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE)
Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko’s long reach and clear confidence made her a formidable adversary for Kaila Issoufi but the Frenchwoman handled it well for the first two minutes. Then, a poorly prepared attack from Issoufi allowed Lytvynenko to unleash her full speed and power. She countered with a combination that finished with a ko-uchi-gari for a waza-ari.
Not long later, in another complicated exchange, hesitation from Issoufi put Lytvynenko back in a very strong position and she threw again, another waza-ari, this time with uchi-mata. She threw her hands to her face in disbelief.
This is the United Arab Emirates’ first ever world championship gold medal; history is being written in Baku today. Lytvynenko tried to catch her breath after the final, “I’m so happy. It’s difficult to describe because at the same time I’m so tired. It was a good day, definitely; I felt good all the way through it. From the wake-up to the warm-up and the fights one after the other, everything was perfect. I still need time to realise it all. I’m happy that I won the first gold medal at a worlds for UAE. I’m happy I’m part of this great group of people. The whole team was behind me and today I’m world champion. My family was here as well so that’s another reason to be happy.”
Bronze medal contest: Kurena Ikeda (JPN) vs Patricia Sampaio (POR)
All began evenly, both a little cautious but both well prepared and ready to do their best. A shido each came first but that pushed the pace and so Ikeda made the move to attack with a tomoe-nage, successfully. She earned herself a yuko and put daylight between them. Sampaio had no choice but to come forward.
Active defence became Ikeda’s M.O. giving Sampaio huge problems. She simply couldn’t break into Ikeda’s space, her seoi-otoshi proving to be ineffective. As the time ended, Sampaio had to accept a 5th place while Kurena Ikeda could leave with a world bronze medal, just as she did last year in Budapest.
Bronze medal contest: Yael Van Heemst (NED) vs Anna Monta Olek (GER)
Although the beginning of the contest looked fairly even, one had the feeling that Olek was just biding her time waiting for exactly the right moment.
The world number one had arrived among the favourites. Strong, consistent and focused, she was determined to make it to the podium even if not winning the gold in 2026. At the halfway mark, she achieved that goal by throwing Van Heemst for a waza-ari with tsuri-goshi and holding her down with kesa-gatame for another.
Final (-78 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-78 kg)
