Final: Sanshiro Murao (JPN) vs Goki Tajima (JPN)
Sanshiro Murao was untouchable all day and despite facing another world champion and compatriot, he continued in the same way in the final.
He opened the scoreline with a waza-ari, countering a tentative attack from Tajima. Going straight back to his line, he took a deep breath and moved in to answer any question about his ability to win. A ko-soto-gari for ippon sealed the deal for Murao to keep the red back patch exactly where it is for another year.
After the final, Sanshiro Murao said, “My objective coming to Baku was clear; I wanted to become world champion again and I am delighted to have achieved it."
"I prepared thoroughly for this competition, particularly for my contest against Lasha Bekauri. I knew how important that fight could be and developed specific tactical solutions to face him. Those solutions were part of a broader strategy that I have worked on carefully. Defeating him was an important part of my journey towards the title, but my ultimate ambition was to become world champion. That was my goal from the beginning and today I proved that I was capable of achieving it.”
Bronze medal contest: Nemanja Majdov (SRB) vs Murad Fatiyev (AZE)
Power versus power, Majdov and Fatiyev weren’t willing to give each other an inch. Attack after attack, they gave everything in a fully committed contest that sent the volume in the arena sky high.
As they entered the golden score period, Faitiyev looked more determined than ever while Majdov began to look frustrated and that worked against him. The Azerbaijani judoka swung underneath him and threw for a yuko with sumi-gaeshi. This is Azerbaijan’s fifth medal at this world championship, a national record in the history of the world championships.
Bronze medal contest: Boris Rutovic (SRB) vs Maxime-Gael Ngayap-Hambou (FRA)
The intensity of the gripping was staggering, Rutovic coming in first but Ngayap-Hambou meeting him in the middle. Both had big attacks but as the contest progressed, the Frenchman began to defend his opponent’s movements too soon, giving rise to penalties he’d rather not have, 2-1 going into the last minute.
In the golden score period, both athletes increased their pace and it looked certain one would throw but still there was no indication of who! However, after just 35 seconds of extra time, Ngayap-Hambou again defended too soon, going to the ground and forcing the referee to give him a third shido. Both judoka had a great day but ultimately it was Boris Rutovic who would claim the bronze medal.
Final (-90 kg)
Bronze Medal Fights (-90 kg)
