Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko of the United Arab Emirates and Ilia Sulamanidze of Georgia won gold medals at the Baku World Judo Championships on Friday.
Lytvynenko made history in the -78kg category, defeating France’s Kaila Issoufi in the final. She scored a waza-ari with an o-uchi-gari before sealing the victory with a second score, becoming the UAE’s first-ever judo world champion. International Olympic Committee member Filomena Fortes awarded the medals.
In the -100kg final, Sulamanidze overcame Japan’s Dota Arai with a decisive yuko to claim his first world title, upgrading from his previous bronze. The Georgian judoka dominated throughout the tournament, culminating in a career-defining performance. Dimitri Abdushelishvili, president of the Georgian National Federation of Aquatic Sports, presented the medals.
