Having finished unplaced in Hungary in September, he has nevertheless been a regular presence at the highest level. At his sixth world championships, Gauthier-Drapeau will hope to make the breakthrough and finally win the medal that would add a new dimension to a record already featuring 12 medals on the World Judo Tour. In the quarter-finals, he could meet a formidable contender in three-time world champion Tato Grigalashvili (GEO), whose current ranking of 32nd does not reflect his talent.
Also in the upper half of the draw, young Mihajlo Simin (SRB) is one of the category’s rising talents. A finalist at the Hungary Grand Slam in Budapest, he has progressed with every outing and these world championships could reveal even more of his potential.
Pool C also contains serious podium contenders. Local athlete Zelim Tckaev (AZE), a world medallist in 2025, and former world champion and Olympic medallist Matthias Casse (BEL) are among the men to watch.
In pool D, the opening rounds could provide an explosive contest. Should Joonhwan Lee (KOR) progress through his first contest, he will face Yuhei Oino (JPN). World and Olympic medallist Lee against the winner of the Paris Grand Slam earlier this season is already an enticing prospect. Adding that this was the final of the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam at the beginning of the summer and there may well be a sense of unfinished business, even if the stakes in Baku are of a very different order.
Who will emerge from such an open draw? At this stage, it is impossible to say.