Japan wins mixed team title as Baku judo world championships end

The 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku concluded with the mixed team final. Japan defeated Russia 4-1 in the deciding contest to win the gold medal.

The victory marked the eighth time Japan’s national anthem was played during the championships. Russia took silver, while Georgia and Uzbekistan won bronze.

After seven days of individual events, teams from 18 countries competed for the final medals at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku. Along with bronze in the team event, Georgia finished second in the overall medal standings with two gold medals. Tato Grigalashvili and Ilya Suleymanidze won the gold medals.

Uzbekistan won bronze after beating Germany 4-2 and then defeating Mongolia.

Azerbaijan beat Austria 4-0 but ended its team competition with a 1-4 loss to Japan in the round of 16. The hosts nevertheless finished third in the overall medal standings with seven medals.

Japan topped the overall standings with 13 medals, including seven golds. A total of 192 judoka from 18 countries competed in the championships’ team event.

One member of the Japanese team said the squad had trained together over the past year and studied its opponents to prepare for victory at the tournament. The judoka said they enjoyed Baku and the way the competitions were organized, adding that events held in the city were among their favorites.

At an official handover ceremony in Baku on October 10, the International Judo Federation flag was presented to the Judo Federation of Kazakhstan. The 2027 World Championships are scheduled to take place in Astana.