Japan's Kaju Defends World Judo Title for Women's 63 kg

Baku, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Haruka Kaju won gold for the women's 63-kilogram category at the 2026 World Judo Championships on Wednesday, claiming the title in the weight division for the second straight year.

The 26-year-old secured her ninth consecutive international judo tournament victory since December 2024, when she won the Grand Slam event in Tokyo.

The reigning world No. 1 became the first Japanese woman to score back-to-back victories for the category at the World Judo Championships since Yoshie Ueno achieved the feat in 2009 and 2010.

At the ongoing tournament in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, Kaju won by ippon in the final match against Israel's Kerem Primo. She extended her unbeaten run since debuting on the international senior stage to a 40th match.

"I'm happier than I was last year," Kaju said after the final.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]