Japan's Murao Wins 2nd Straight World Judo Title

Baku, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Sanshiro Murao won the men's 90-kilogram category at the 2026 World Judo Championships on Thursday, earning his second consecutive world title.

This is the first time a Japanese judoka has won the title in two consecutive championships in this category since the weight division was introduced in 1999.

At the ongoing tournament in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Murao, 26, defeated Georgia's Lasha Bekauri, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, in the third round and France's Maxime-Gael Ngayap Hambou, a bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in the semifinal, both by ippon.

In the final, he beat Japan's Goki Tajima, who won the 90 kg category at the 2024 World Judo Championships, by ippon.

"I think I was able to compete in a way that made people around me think I am strong," Murao said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]