Algeria has 3 judoka including Hezil Oussama Abdelhak, junior world number 16 and with the continental -21 title just recently claimed. The -66 kg fighter is however still a cadet and also won the African Cadet Championships and two cadet cups this year. The worlds is a big step up but with 4 golds from his 4 last events, Abdelhak is ready.
The Ivory Coast have a single delegate, a 20 year old who has been stretching into the senior ranks as well as taking results at junior level. Jerome Zelman, -73 kg, has been adventurous with his choices, including stepping on to the tatami of the Bercy in February, competing at the incredible Paris Grand Slam. He has also fought the senior continental championships twice having taken silver in the 2023 junior event. He’s worked his way up to world number 7 and will be looking to hang an African flag above the podium in Dushanbe.
The highest ranked of Egypt’s 7 athletes is Safa Soliman. She won the heavyweight time at this year’s African Junior Championships, adding to her silver medal from 2022. In that same year she placed 7th at the World Championships Cadets in Sarajevo, pointing to her potential. Sarajevo has been her first trip outside African so far but in Dushanbe she will multiply that experience.
The 7-strong Kenyan team will arrive in Tajikistan with limited experience but a big desire to develop and soak up all that the world stage has to offer. Their 4 men and 3 women will be leaning on their team spirit to get the most out of an extraordinary journey.
The solo Madagascan athlete, Aina Laura Rasoanaivo Razafy is currently the junior world number 4 and holder of the African junior title at -70 kg. Remarkably she also has senior continental medals, a bronze from April’s event and a gold from the 2023 edition. She’s also an Olympian, stepping on to the tatami of the Arena Champs-de-Mars this summer. Not many juniors can claim such experience. Madagascar have sent a strong contender to Dushanbe and she will be aiming at a better result than when she appeared there at the grand slam in May. She’s experienced and determined and will be one to watch next week.
Two of Morocco’s team of four are inside the world top ten in the junior categories. -48 kg Nohade Riadi and -73 kg Nouh Lahmouri, ranked 7th and 9th respectively, have a handful of continental medals between them and have already dipped their toes in the water of senior competitions.
The complexities of participation are particularly prominent within Africa but development is a long-standing goal from the northern-most to southern-most tips of the continent and these six nations are leading the way in many respects. Watch on JudoTV from 2nd to 6th October to follow their progress.
