On day 2 in Baku, Ariane Toro Soler, with no senior world medals of her own at that point, came through a tough -52 kg draw to meet world champion and double Olympic medallist Odette Giuffrida (ITA) in the semi-finals. A ko-uchi-gari for ippon placed her in the final, an important jump up from her fifth place finish at the 2025 edition.
Toro Soler won silver after a close final against Uta Abe, her first senior world medal. The icing on that cake is that her father, Jose Toro, was with her throughout the day in the coaches’ chair and her mother was in the war-up room.
“For me it’s special sharing the medals with my mother and father; it is always a good feeling. When I lose they help me recover and when I win they also support me. We are a family, always together.”
Yolanda added, “I am very happy for her. It’s special because I know exactly how it feels and I know what she is going through.” Total trust and commitment within the family unit is a big part of what helps Ariane to succeed.
When asked what she needs to do next, to improve further, especially against Uta Abe, she says, “I think I am very close but I have to train some details to be closer, to really step on the mat to win. I am happy with the result today though even if ending a world championships with silver is hard. Truly, I am grateful for my day and for this result."
"My tactics against some opponents can be improved. We are always training hard and we must just continue that way. Just tiny details need changing. I want to spend some more time in Japan ahead of this year’s World Judo Masters.”
Ariane Toro Soler’s career is climbing, step by step. From EYOF silver in 2019 to junior, u23 and senior European championship medals in the years that followed, this senior world medal is an indication of continued improvement, of patience and or work. At 23, Ariane has a lot of years ahead of her and if her past is anything to go by, the medals can only keep coming.