The new eight world champions were found on Day 1 of the 2022 IBSA Judo World Championships at the Heydar Aliyev Arena, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The light weight categories of men and women in both classes (J1 and J2) were the first ones to get the blind and visually impaired Judo rulers.

Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Ukraine are leading the gold race in this fabulous world championships, with almost 250 athletes from 41 countries fighting in three tatamis, but focusing attention on the finals. Actually, this competition has been dominated, so far, by Turkey and Ukraine. To the two gold medals we already have, we need to add two silver medals, which means four presences in the final fight in eight categories so far. In other words, Turkey and Ukraine put their flags in half of the finals on Day 1.

A few surprises happened, the most unexpected was in the J2 class, -73kg category. The victory smiled on the Iranian judoka Vahid Jeddi, but on the road to the gold, the Paralympic champion in Tokyo 2020, Huseyn Rahimli, was stepped aside by the Kazakh Olzhas Orazalyuli (bronze medal in Baku). Rahimli was even put out of the medals by his countryman Namig Abasli (also a bronze medalist).

Check out the new world champions and the complete podium of the eight categories played on Day 1:

Men
J1 -60kg
1st – Seyed Abadi (IRI)
2nd – Abdurrahim Ozalp (TUR)
3rd – Marcos Blanco (VEN)
3rd – Henry Borges (URU)

J1 -73kg
1st – Yergali Shamey (KAZ)
2nd – Lennart Sass (GER)
3rd – Alex Bologa (ROU)
3rd – Dong Dong Camanni (ITA)

J2 -60kg
1st – Davyd Khorava (UKR)
2nd – Thiego Marques (BRA)
3rd – Luis Gavilan (SPA)
3rd – Zurab Zurabiani (GEO)

J2 -73kg
1st – Vahid Jeddi (IRI)
2nd – Rufat Mahomedov (UKR)
3rd – Namig Abasli (AZE)
3rd – Olzhas Orazalyuli (KAZ)

Women
J1 -48kg
1st – Nataliya Nikolaychyk (UKR)
2nd – Ecem Cavdar (TUR)
3rd – Rocio Dure (ARG)
3rd – Rosicleide Andrade (BRA)

J1 -57kg
1st – Dondu Yesilyurt (TUR)
2nd – Priscilla Gange (CAN)
3rd – Anzhela Havrysiuk (UKR)
3rd – Liana Mutia (USA)

J2 -48kg
1st – Akmaral Nauatbek (KAZ)
2nd – Sandrine Martinet (FRA)
3rd – Shahana Hajiyeva (AZE)
3rd – Yuliia Yvanitska (UKR)

J2 -57kg
1st – Zeynep Celik (TUR)
2nd – Inna Sych (UKR)
3rd – Dayana Fedossova (KAZ)
3rd – Junko Hirose (JAP)

Photos:
Jeyhun Hasanov/IBSA
Elmar Sadikhov/IBSA