Marques triumphs for Brazil as Japan take three

Brazilian Nicole Marques edged out Venezuela’s Leomaris Ruiz for the women’s -52kg gold medal at the World Championships Juniors Judo in Lima, Peru.

The –52kg category delivered high-level judo and fresh surprises from start to finish. Ruiz advanced with confidence, defeating Gaia Stella of Italy and then overcoming one of the favourites, Tabea Nika Mecklenburg of Germany, to reach the final.

In the lower half, Marques battled through intense rounds, including a long golden score, before defeating Nungshithoi Chanu Leishangthem of India in a close semi-final.

The final opened with an intense battle for grips, neither judoka managing to create a clear scoring opportunity in the first half of the contest. Both Ruiz and Marques proved equally dangerous on the ground, launching swift attacks but countering with just as much efficiency, much to the tension of their coaches and supporters. As the contest moved into golden score, fatigue and pressure began to show.

Ruiz picked up a second penalty two minutes into extra time, putting her on the brink of disqualification. Marques used her tactical awareness brilliantly, maintaining constant pressure and forcing her opponent into mistakes. Eventually, the decisive third shido was given against Ruiz, handing Nicole Marques a well-deserved world junior title and a golden moment for Brazil. After her bronze medal at the cadets world championships in Sofia, this is an amazing move forward for Marques.

The women’s –48 kg category delivered some of the day’s most memorable moments. Pre-tournament favourite Tara Babulfath of Sweden, already a world and Olympic medallist at senior level, was defeated early by an inspired Aitana Diaz Hernandez of Spain.

The Spaniard’s strategic precision and composed attitude carried her all the way to the final, where she met Sachiyo Yoshino of Japan, who had displayed remarkable consistency and tactical maturity throughout the preliminary rounds.

With her guard held high, Hernandez opened the contest with confidence. With a backward movement, however, Yoshino seized her first opportunity, executing a perfectly timed ko-soto-gari for waza-ari. After a video review, the score was upgraded to ippon, sealing the assignment of the first gold medal of the championships for Japan.

The men’s –60 kg category delivered one of the most technically engaging displays of the day, with precision, speed and tactical mastery at the forefront. From the early rounds, Japan asserted dominance, with both Retsu Matsunaga and Yusei Adachi advancing confidently through their respective halves of the draw.

From the early rounds, the Japanese delegation imposed its rhythm and efficiency, with both Matsunaga and Adachi advancing steadily through their respective halves of the draw. Top seed Christopher Velazco of the USA and his world cadet champion teammate Jonathan Yang both showed strong judo and determination but the day belonged to Japan ultimately.

Matsunaga’s calm control and Adachi’s sharp execution led to an all-Japanese final, a testament to the nation’s depth and excellence in the lighter weight divisions.

The two Japanese judoka knew each other perfectly, resulting in a tense and finely balanced contest. Each collected two penalties as they entered the golden score period, with neither able to break the deadlock. After several minutes of exchanges, Adachi was penalised for a third time, giving Matsunaga the victory and the junior world title.

The men’s –66 kg category saw a stunning triumph for Tornike Gigauri of Georgia, who overturned a score deficit to produce a spectacular ippon in the final against Abdullakh Parchiev.

Finally, at the women’s –57 kg, Mio Shirakane capped Japan’s golden day, winning by hold-down against Dana Abdirova of Kazakhstan.

Final Results

Women’s -52kg

1. MARQUES Nicole (BRA)

2. RUIZ Leomaris (VEN)

3. FUKUNAGA Hako (JPN)

3. MECKLENBURG Tabea Nika (GER)

5. LEISHANGTHEM Nungshithoi Chanu (IND)

5. MARTINEZ DE RITUERTO MORILLAS Monica (ESP)

7. STELLA Gaia (ITA)

7. ERTEN Klara (GER)

Women’s -48 kg

1. YOSHINO Sachiyo (JPN)

2. DIAZ HERNANDEZ Aitana (ESP)

3. HAYDAROVA Laziza (UZB)

3. ANNIS Morgane (FRA)

5. VASQUEZ Laura (ECU)

5. WANDEL Vera (NED)

7. BOGDAN Laura (ROU)

7. ERTEM Zilan (TUR)

Women’s -57 kg

1. SHIRAKANE Mio (JPN)

2. ABDIROVA Dana (KAZ)

3. UENO Asuka (JPN)

3. ANDRADE Gyovanna (BRA)

5. REIS Bianca (BRA)

5. GAJIC Jevgenija (SLO)

7. TERRANOVA Michela (ITA)

7. VAN ZYL Carla (CAN)

Men’s -60 kg

1. MATSUNAGA Retsu (JPN)

2. ADACHI Yusei (JPN)

3. YANG Jonathan (USA)

3. KUCHKAROV Samariddin (UZB)

5. DIJOL Zacharie (FRA)

5. POLTORATSKII Ruslan (BRN)

7. VELAZCO Christopher (USA)

7. GARCIA RAMIREZ Diego (DOM)

Men’s -66 kg

1. GIGAURI Tornike (GEO)

2. PARCHIEV Abdullakh (IJF)

3. FUKUCHI Shuntaro (JPN)

3. MUSAYEV Mahammad (AZE)

5. NOBREGA Bruno (BRA)

5. IMRANOV Nizami (AZE)

7. HAMROYEV Dilshodbek (UZB)

7. RENARD Alexis (FRA)