At -81 kg, Tato Grigalashvili returned to the top of the world podium. The Georgian, already a three-time world champion, had to dig deep against Azerbaijan’s Zelim Tckaev in a final that stretched far into golden score. Eventually, Grigalashvili found the decisive counter for a waza-ari and claimed his fourth world title. It was another demonstration of the qualities that have defined his career: patience, resilience and the ability to find solutions under extreme pressure.
For Azerbaijan, there was also much to celebrate. Tckaev’s silver was joined by a bronze medal from Omar Rajabli, giving the host nation two medals in the same category. With flags flying and the crowd responding to every attack, the National Gymnastics Arena produced one of the most intense atmospheres of the championships so far. In the Land of Fire, the arena was burning.
At -63 kg, Haruka Kaju delivered another confirmation. The Japanese judoka defended her world title successfully by defeating Kerem Primo (ISR) in the final, combining sharp attacking judo with excellent work on the ground. Her second consecutive world crown confirms her position among the strongest athletes in the category and extends an impressive period of dominance at the highest level with 40 contests won in a row.
Primo’s silver was also one of the performances of the day, while Renata Zachova (CZE) and Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL) completed the podium.
Day four therefore belonged to both established champions and to those pushing closer to the top. Grigalashvili and Kaju confirmed their authority, while Azerbaijan fed off the extraordinary energy of its home crowd. Four days remain and, at the halfway point, the temperature in Baku is only rising.