Japan's Hifumi Abe Wins World Judo Gold for Record 5th Time

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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]