The constant force at the 2018 World Judo Championships in Baku (AZE) was Japan.
The world leader in the sport finished with 16 medals (7-5-4) and scored at least one medal in 13 of the 14 weight classes, then won the final-day Mixed Team Event with a 4-1 thrashing of France.
This was not a surprise in that Japan topped the medal table again, but the degree of domination was amazing. No other country won more than four medals – France (1-1-2) – followed by Korea (2-0-1), Georgia (1-1-1), Russia (0-1-2), Netherlands (0-1-2) and Mongolia (0-0-3) at three each.
Japan’s total of 16 was the most since 2015, when the Japanese won 17 (and eight golds). It also maintained japan’s perfect record of winning the most medals at the World Championships for the 19th straight time, going back to the first time the men’s and women’s Worlds were held together back in 1987.
It wasn’t an especially good Worlds for defending champions, as only four of 14 repeated: Naohisa Takato (JPN) at -60 kg and Hifumi Abe (JPN) at -66 kg among the men, and Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA: pictured) at -63 kg and Chizuru Arai (JPN) at -70 kg.
Summaries:
IJF World Championships
Baku (AZE) ~ 20-27 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men
-60 kg: 1. Naohisa Takato (JPN); 2. Robert Mshvidobadze (RUS); 3. Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) and Ryuju Nagayama (JPN); 5. Karamat Huseynov (AZE) and Harim Lee (KOP); 7. Yong Gwon Kim (PRK) and Eric Takabatake (BRA).
-66 kg: 1. Hifumi Abe (JPN); 2. Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ); 3. Georgii Zantaria (UKR) and Baul An (KOR); 5. Tal Flicker (ISR) and Daniel Cargnin (BRA); 7. Mikhail Puliaev (RUS) and Kherlen Ganbold (MGL).
-73 kg: 1. Changrim An (KOR); 2. Soichi Hashimoto (JPN); 3. Mohammad Mohammadi (IRI) and Hidayat Heydarov (AZE); 5. Odbayar Ganbaatar (MGL) and Tsogbaatar Tsend-Ochir (MGL); 7. Zhansay Smagulov (KAZ) and Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO).
-81 kg: 1. Saeid Mollaei (IRI); 2. Sotaro Fujiwara (JPN); 3. Vedat Albayrak (TUR) and Alexander Wieczerzak (GER); 5. Dominic Ressel (GER) and Damian Szwarnowiecki (POL); 7. Mattias Case (GER) and Khasan Khalmurzaev (RUS).
-90 kg: 1. Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (ESP); 2. Ivan Felipe Silva (CUB); 3. Kenya Nagasawa (JPN) and Axel Clerget (FRA); 5. Krisztian Toth (HUN) and Eduard Trippel (GER); 7. Komronshokh Ustopiriyon (TJK) and Asley Gonzalez (CUB).
-100 kg: 1. Guham Cho (KOR); 2. Varlam Liparteliani (GEO); 3. Otgonbaatar Lkhagvasuren (MGL) and Niyaz Ilyasov (RUS); 5. Aaron Wolf (JPN) and Ramadan Darwish (EGY); 7. Michael Korrel (NED) and Jorge Fonseca (POR).
+100 kg: 1. Guram Tushishvili (GEO); 2. Ushangi Kokauri (AZE); 3. Hisayoshi Harasawa (JPN) and Duurenbayar Ulziibayar (MGL); 5. Belmurod Oltiboev (UZB) and Lukas Krpalek (CZE); 7. Roy Meyer (NED) and Temur Rakhimov (TJK).
Women
-48 kg: 1. Daria Bilodid (UKR); 2. Funa Tonaki (JPN); 3. Paula Pareto (ARG) and Otgonsetseg Galbadrakh (KAZ); 5. Catarina Costa (POR) and Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL); 7. Julia Figueroa (ESP) and Marusa Stangar (SLO).
-52 kg: 1. Uta Abe (JPN); 2. Ai Shishime (JPN); 3. Amandine Buchard (FRA) and Erika Miranda (BRA); 5. Jessica Pereira (BRA) and Charline van Snick (BEL); 7. Natalia Kuziutina (RUS) and Gefen Primo (ISR).
-57 kg: 1. Tsukasa Yoshida (JPN); 2. Nekoda Smythe-Davis (GBR); 3. Christa Deguchi (CAN) and Syriya Dorjsuren (MGL); 5. You-jeong Kwon (KOR) and Theresa Stoll (GER); 7. Nora Gjakova (KOS) and Helene Receveaux (FRA).
-63 kg: 1. Clarisse Agbegnenou (FRA); 2. Miku Tashiro (JPN); 3. Juul Franssen (NED) and Tina Trstenjak (SLO); 5. Martyna Trajdos (GER) and Maylin del Toro Carvajal (CUB), 7. Kathrin Unterwurzacher (AUT) and Katharina Haecker (AUS).
-70 kg: 1. Chizuru Arai (JPN); 2. Marie Eve Gahie (FRA); 3. Yuri Alvear (COL) and Yoko Ono (JPN); 5. Assmaa Niang (MAR) and Maria Perez (PUR); 7. Kelita Zupancic (CAN) and Sally Conway (GBR).
-78 kg: 1. Shori Hamada (JPN); 2. Guusje Steenhuis (NED); 3. Aleksandra Babintseva (RUS) and Marhinde Verkerk (NED); 5. Zhenzhao Ma (CHN) and Katie Yeats Brown (GBR); 7. Klara Apotekar (SLO) and Madeleine Malonga (FRA).
+78 kg: 1. Sarah Asahina (JPN); 2. Idalys Ortiz (CUB); 3. Larisa Ceric (BIH) and Kayra Sayit (TUR); 5. Sarah Adlington (GBR) and Marie Suelen Altheman (BRA); 7. Ivana Maranic (CRO) and Iryna Kindzerska (AZE).
Mixed
Team Event: 1. Japan (Harasawa, Yoshida, Tatsukawa, Ono, Mujai); 2. France (Clerget, Gahie, Chaine, Gneto); 3. Russia (Tasoev, Konkina, Mogushkov, Prokopenko, Igolnikov) and Korea (Minjong Kim, Youjeong Kwon, Changrim An, Sun Yong Kwon/PRK); 5. Azerbaijan and Germany; 7. Netherlands and Brazil.
