Baku, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Hifumi Abe won the World Judo Championships in the men’s 66-kilogram category Monday, earning the world title for the fifth time to strike a record for a male Japanese judo athlete. In the championships in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the two-time Olympic champion defeated fellow Japanese Takeshi Takeoka, the world’s No. 1 and defending champion, in the semifinal and beat Spain’s David Garcia Torne in the final with an ippon, winning the World Judo Championships for the first time since 2023. Uta Abe, Hifumi’s younger sister, won gold in the women’s 52 kg category the same day, defending her title and winning for the sixth time. This is the fourth time for both of the Abe siblings to win the World Judo Championships and the first since 2023. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the two became champions on the same day. Their latest victories are expected to add momentum to the siblings, as Hifumi aims for his third consecutive Olympic gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games while Uta hopes to regain the Olympic title. While calling the Baku tournament “the toughest world championships,” Hifumi said his level of judo has “definitely risen” since the 2024 Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Uta was not content with her performance despite her victory and said she keenly felt that “winning is never easy.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
