Settled
Koga Wakana wins first world judo gold in women's 48kg; Nagayama takes bronze
Version 2: No change to the results; the report now adds Jiji Press's account of how Koga won her semifinal and final, the note that Nagayama was seeking a second straight title, and Tokyo Shimbun's headline report and photo caption of the final.
In short
Koga Wakana of Japan won her first world judo championship title in the women's 48kg class on the opening day in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 4 October, beating last year's champion Assunta Scutto of Italy in the final. Defending men's 60kg champion Nagayama Ryuju took bronze after losing his semifinal to Kazakhstan's Sherzod Dakhlatov. Individual competition runs one weight class a day through 10 October, with the mixed team event on 11 October.
Why it matters
The two medals on the opening day get Japan's tally started at a world championship that Baku is hosting for the second time since 2018, and give Koga her first world title in her fifth appearance. With six more individual competition days and a mixed team event to follow, the size of Japan's medal haul will only become clear later in the championships.
Key facts
- Koga Wakana (JR East) won the women's 48kg title at the world judo championships in Baku, her first world title in her fifth appearance. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Koga won five matches starting from her first bout in the second round, according to Nikkei, Sankei Shimbun and Jiji Press. [ 2 , 3 , 7 ]
- She beat Paris Olympic silver medallist Bavuudorjiin Baasankhüü of Mongolia in the semifinal and last year's champion Assunta Scutto of Italy in the final. [ 2 , 3 , 7 ]
- Nikkei and Sankei Shimbun said it was Japan's first title in the women's 48kg class in three championships. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Nagayama Ryuju (Park24), the defending men's 60kg champion, took bronze; he lost his semifinal to Sherzod Dakhlatov of Kazakhstan and beat Ayub Bliev of Russia in the third-place match, according to Nikkei and Sankei, while Jiji Press reported the loss and the third-place win without naming the opponents. [ 2 , 3 , 7 ]
- Two weight classes were held on the opening day, 4 October, in Baku. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Individual competition runs one weight class per day through 10 October, with the mixed team event on the final day, 11 October, and Baku is hosting the championships for the second time after 2018, Nikkei and Sankei reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Koga Wakana won the women's 48kg gold medal at the world judo championships in Baku. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Nagayama Ryuju won bronze in the men's 60kg class. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
- The championships opened on 4 October in Baku, and two weight classes were contested that day. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
- Koga beat Bavuudorjiin Baasankhüü of Mongolia in the semifinal and Assunta Scutto of Italy in the final. [ 2 , 3 , 7 ]
- Nagayama lost his semifinal and won his third-place match. [ 2 , 3 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Koga's earlier results at the world championships. The documents say only that this was her fifth appearance and give no earlier placings or her age.
- The techniques and scores of Koga's bouts before the semifinal and of Nagayama's matches. Only Jiji Press describes how the semifinal and final were won; Nikkei, Sankei and Jiji give no details of the other bouts, and the remaining documents are results only.
- Whether other Japanese athletes competed on the opening day. The documents mention only Koga and Nagayama among Japanese entries on 4 October.
What local media are saying
Business mediaYomiuri, Nikkei, Sankei, Tokyo Shimbun and Jiji Press all reported the two opening-day results. Nikkei and Sankei carried the same agency copy with the opponents and bout outcomes plus the remaining schedule and the note that Baku has now hosted twice since 2018; Jiji Press added that Koga's semifinal was won on an advantage decision and the final by ippon and that Nagayama had been aiming for a second straight title; Yomiuri's first item framed Nagayama as the previous champion finishing third; Tokyo Shimbun led on the two medals and ran a photo caption of Koga's final against the Italian competitor.
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Official sourcesNHK News ran a short online report confirming Koga's first gold medal and noting that the championships opened on 4 October in Azerbaijan and run for eight days.
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Timeline, local time
- Yomiuri Shimbun's first report says Koga Wakana has won the women's 48kg gold and that Nagayama Ryuju, the previous men's 60kg champion, finished third. [ 1 ]
- Nikkei publishes a fuller report naming the opponents: Koga beats Mongolia's Bavuudorjiin Baasankhüü in the semifinal and Italy's Assunta Scutto in the final, while Nagayama loses to Kazakhstan's Sherzod Dakhlatov and wins the bronze match against Russia's Ayub Bliev. It also sets out the remaining schedule. [ 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun carries the same agency report on the two results and the timetable. [ 3 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun headlines Koga's gold and Nagayama's bronze. [ 4 ]
- NHK News reports Koga's first gold medal at the championships that opened on 4 October in Baku and run for eight days. [ 5 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports the two medals, with a caption describing Koga's women's 48kg final against the Italian competitor in Baku. [ 6 ]
- Jiji Press reports Koga's first title in her fifth appearance, an advantage win in the semifinal and an ippon in the final, and Nagayama's semifinal defeat and third-place win. [ 7 ]