Swiss Judoka has clinched his maiden world title while Canada’s Deguchi secured her second world crown.
In a historic victory for Switzerland, former European Championships bronze medalist Nils Stump claimed his first-ever World gold medal in Judo yesterday.
The 26-year-old emerged victorious in the -73kg weight class final at the IJF World Judo Championships – Doha 2023, held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. Stump defeated former European champion Manuel Lombardo of Italy in a gripping showdown.
Stump had impressed judo enthusiasts around the world with his recent victories at the IJF Grand Slam, in which he won gold medals in Abu Dhabi last year and Tel Aviv in February this year. His success in Doha is a significant milestone in his career, especially considering his early exit from the Round of 32 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Stump’s win is a momentous occasion for Switzerland, and his performance was applauded by fans worldwide.
During the pool stage, Nils Stump, ranked ninth in the world, showcased his skill by defeating Daga Qing from China and Petru Pelivan from Moldova, setting himself up for an impressive performance.
In the quarter-finals, Stump caused an upset by defeating former Asian and world champion Soichi Hashimoto.
Hashimoto had previously defeated former world and Olympic champion Lasha Shavdatuashvili in a high-profile round 2 clash before facing Stump. Despite the loss, Hashimoto eventually claimed a bronze medal, along with Uzbek Muradjon Yuldashev.
In the final, Stump faced sixth seed Manuel Lombardo of Italy, who had previously won the European title in 2021 and finished fifth at the Tokyo Games. Lombardo had also won a silver medal at the 2021 Worlds in Budapest, competing in the 66kg class before moving up to 73kg.
After the historic win, the President of the Swiss Judo Federation, Sergei Aschwanden, expressed his joy and congratulated Stump and his coach Alexei Budolin on their success, highlighting the importance of trust and a good relationship between athlete and coach in achieving such impressive results.
“Nils progressed from year to year and he won on experience and stability. His performance today was tremendous and it shows with work and confidence you can go very far,” Aschwanden told European Judo Union’s official website.
“The work between Nils and (coach) Alexei Budolin shows us how important it is to have trust and a good relationship to have big results. Congratulations to Alexei. Hopefully, this title will help our sport to develop and gain members, we as a federation have to work on it.”
Women’s category
In the women’s category, Christa Deguchi, a Canadian of Japanese origin, secured her second world title in Judo, adding to her impressive track record that includes two Pan-American titles, one Commonwealth Games victory, six IJF Grand Slam and four IJF Grand Prix titles.
The 27-year-old judoka, who switched her allegiance to Canada in 2017, defeated Haruka Funakubo of Japan in the 57kg final in under two minutes.
Canada’s Jessica Klimkait, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, claimed the bronze medal alongside Mongolia’s Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo.
At the end of the third day of the IJF World Judo Championships – Doha 2023, Japan leads the medal tally with seven medals, including three gold and two silver, followed by Canada with one gold and one bronze.
Wednesday’s action will feature competitions in the 81kg (men) and 63kg (women) weight categories.
