Under the new ranking system, results retain 100% of their value for 12 months, are reduced to 50% after 12 months and expire completely after 24 months. As the season progresses, 2024 results therefore expire while 2025 results are reduced to 50%, creating opportunities for consistently competing athletes to move up the rankings.
Following the Hungarian event, several established names consolidated their positions. At the same time, new leaders and challengers emerged ahead of the year’s main event, the Baku World Senior Championships Individuals and Mixed Teams. After publishing a breakdown of the men’s categories, we continue with the women’s.
In 2026, the -48 kg category has produced a succession of different winners. Since April, Xinran Hui (CHN) has taken bronze at the Asian Championships and in Dushanbe, Qingdao and Lausanne. Shirine Boukli (FRA) claimed the continental title, finished seventh in Ulaanbaatar and exited early in Lausanne. Sabina Giliazova (RUS) was a runner-up in Tbilisi. She missed the podium in both Ulaanbaatar and Lausanne but just before the World Championships, she captured her third grand slam title in Budapest. Laura Martínez Abelenda (ESP) has been just as consistent as Hui, taking bronze at the European Championships and in Mongolia before earning silver in Switzerland. Wenna Zhuang (CHN) has also made a major impact, winning in China, finishing second in Mongolia and France, and taking bronze at the continental championships and in Tashkent.
At -52 kg, Distria Krasniqi (KOS) continued to strengthen her position by winning the continental championships and the Paris Grand Slam. Odette Giuffrida (ITA), the reigning world champion, has put together one of the category’s most impressive runs, winning in Tajikistan, taking silver in Mongolia and bronze at the continental championships, as well as at the grand slams in Uzbekistan and Hungary. Ayumi Leiva Sanchez (ESP) also made significant progress, securing her first World Judo Tour title in Hungary and adding bronze medals in China and Austria to her list. Mascha Ballhaus (GER) remains among the leading contenders too with silver in China and bronze in France. Her 2026 campaign, however, has been something of a roller coaster, with a seventh-place finish in Ulaanbaatar followed by early exits in Tashkent and Lausanne.
The -57 kg category features four athletes with substantial 2026 results earned by September. The world title holder, Eteri Liparteliani (GEO), made a statement with her victory in Switzerland, following her European gold on home soil. Sarah Leonie Cysique (FRA) has also been very active, adding silver medals in Switzerland and Mongolia to her collection. Last year’s world championship runner-up, Momo Tamaoki (JPN), has only competed in Qingdao since April where she finished with bronze. Shirlen Nascimento (BRA) climbed to fourth on the WRL after winning Pan-American gold but has not reached the top seven since.
The -63 kg category has seen several athletes build strong sequences of results from the spring onwards, yet one thing seems certain: Haruka Kaju dominates! The Japanese title-holder won in Georgia and Mongolia and leads the WRL, while Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo (MGL) enjoyed a particularly strong spring, winning in Kazakhstan and at the continental championships, and taking silver in Tajikistan. At her home grand slam, however, she finished in fifth place, surprisingly. The Mongolian judoka is also among only a few athletes competing at both the Asian Games and the Baku World Senior Championships. Rio’s Olympic champion Rafaela Silva (BRA) began the year strongly with two grand slam golds, followed by silver at the Pan-American continental championships and bronze in Kazakhstan. Before Baku, her most recent competition was in Lima, where she finished fifth. Joanne van Lieshout (NED) became Europe’s best senior for the first time, while also finishing fifth in Astana and Lausanne and taking silver in Ulaanbaatar. Kaju leads the WRL by almost 1,000 points and remains unbeaten at international events at the age of 26 and so, despite excellent performances from many athletes, she remains the one to beat.
Lara Cvjetko (CRO) leads the world ranking at -70 kg despite only winning in Qingdao this season. She has claimed bronze medals at the Mediterranean Games and in Ulaanbaatar though and a seventh-place finish in Budapest. Aoife Coughlan (AUS) secured her position as the leading judoka in Oceania before adding silver in Mongolia and seventh place in Qingdao to her CV. As the reigning 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, she was expected to retain that top spot but ultimately finished second there in 2026. Shiho Tanaka (JPN) earned a victory in Mongolia, once again showing her opponents why she wears the red back patch. Szofi Ozbas (HUN) defended her European title and also triumphed at the season opener in Paris; however, an ACL injury has ruled her out, with her return expected in 2027.
Anna Monta Olek (GER) has produced a particularly strong run at -78 kg. She won in Tajikistan and subsequently added victories in Switzerland, China and Tajikistan to her list, while finishing second in Uzbekistan and third in France. Her only missed podium came in Mongolia where she placed fifth, underlining her consistency and her challenge for the top position in the category. Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko (UAE) has also established herself as a major presence, winning in Mongolia and Tajikistan and finishing second at the 2026 Asian Championships, as well as in France and Switzerland. Metka Lobnik (SLO) recorded bronze medals in Hungary, China and at the continental championships, in addition to seventh place in Ulaanbaatar. Kurena Ikeda (JPN) was unable to continue her impressive run in 2026, suffering early exits in Paris and Mongolia before finishing fifth in Lausanne. The current Olympic, world and European champion, Alice Bellandi (ITA), will not compete in Baku as she continues her injury recovery too.
At +78 kg, Raz Hershko (ISR) has put together an impressive sequence of results in 2026. She began strongly with a victory in Austria and then won twice in Georgia, including taking the European title. Subsequently, she finished seventh in Mongolia and China, before taking bronze at the Lima Grand Prix. Her final test before Baku could hardly have gone better, as she returned to the top of the podium in Hungary. Hershko is ready to take her first world championship title,
Lea Fontaine (FRA) has been remarkably consistent, reaching the podium at every event she entered this season, although her first gold did not come until Switzerland. Her compatriot, Romane Dicko, followed a similar path, with one important difference: she claimed her first gold of 2026 in Paris. 19-year-old Hyeonji Lee (KOR) has not competed at a World Judo Tour event since taking silver at the Asian Championships but she is set to face her opponents twice in one week in October.
The Baku World Senior Championships Individuals will run from 4th to 10th October while the mixed team competition will be held on 11th October, all in the National Gymnastics Arena.