2022 Judo World Championships in Tashkent: Preview, schedule and how to watch IJF stars compete for titles

Olympic medallists and defending champions headline the IJF flagship event from 6 to 13 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

8 minBy Alessandro Poggi | Created 30 September 2022.
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(Yomiuri)

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will host the 61st edition of the Judo World Championships, taking place from Thursday 6 to Wednesday 13 October 2022.

Japan’s history-making siblings Abe Hifumi and Uta, Canada’s reigning world champion Jessica Klimkait, and Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Lasha Bekauri of Georgia and Lukas Krpalek of Czech Republic are some of the star judokas headlining the event.

Around 580 competitors from almost 90 nations will be in action at the Humo Ice Dome. It’s the first time the Central Asian nation has hosted the International Judo Federation (IJF)’s main competition, which was originally scheduled from 7-14 August.

Tashkent has been part of the IJF World Tour since 2013, hosting a Grand Slam in 2021 and seven Grand Prix event from 2013 to 2019.

Judo World Championships: Key facts

The men’s competition was first held in 1956, while women had their own event from 1980 to 1986. Since 1987 the championships are mixed and take place once every year, except if there’s an Olympic Games. From 2017 the Worlds include a mixed team event, which made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

What's the country with most titles/medals at the Judo World Championships?

Japan top the all-time medal count with 164 titles (and 382 medals), followed by France (60 titles and 180 medals) and South Korea (29,102).

Who won most judo world titles?

France's Teddy Riner has claimed 10 individual gold medals. Japan's Ryoko Tani is the most successful woman with seven titles.

Who are the youngest and oldest judo world champions?

Youngest: Teddy Riner (18 years and 159 days in 2007), Daria Bilodid (17 years and 345 days in 2018).

Oldest: Anton Geesink (31 years and 194 days in 1965), Driulis Gonzalez (33 years and 358 days in 2007).

2022 Judo World Championships: The road to Paris 2024

Athletes can earn up to 2,000 ranking points towards qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics if they win the 2022 world title.

This represents the maximum number of points in a judo event apart from the Olympics (2,200 points). The qualification period for Paris 2024 started on 24 June 2022 and the top 17 countries across the 7 weight categories on 23 June 2024 in the IJF World Ranking List will earn a quota place. If within the same weight category a NOC has more than one athlete ranked in the top 17, the NOC can decide which of these athletes will receive the quota place.

Read more: How to qualify for judo at Paris 2024

2022 Judo World Championships: Stars in action

There will be 14 individual sets of medals at stake in Tashkent, across seven weight categories.

Japan won all four editions of the mixed team event and in Tashkent they are likely to battle for the title with inaugural Olympic champions France.

Here’s an overview of who to look out for.

Women to watch at 2022 world champs

  • -48kg: With Olympic champion Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo moving up to the -52kg class, the battle for the title looks like an all-Japan affair between Olympic silver medallist Tonaki Funa and reigning world champion Tsunoda Natsumi, although double European champion Shirine Boukli of France is the current world number one.
  • -52kg: In what is arguably the most competitive weight category, Olympic champ Abe Uta looks for a third world crown, but the Japanese player faces a tough competition from Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Amandine Buchard, and reigning European champion Chelsie Giles.
  • -57kg: Olympic medallist Jessica Klimkait seeks to defend her title from Budapest last year but she may face fellow Canadian – and former world champion - Christa Deguchi, who’s unseeded and always beat her in international competitions. Double -48kg world champion Daria Bilodid features in the entry list, but since changing weight category after Tokyo, the 21-year-old Ukrainian has never passed the preliminary rounds in a major tournament and her only win to date is the Riga Senior European Cup in August.
  • -63kg: With 5-time champion Clarisse Agbegnenou taking time off after giving birth to her first child, the field will be wide open. GB’s Lucy Renshall and Canada’s Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard are top seeds, but Japan’s Horikawa Megumi could challenge for the title after winning the Grand Slams in Hungary and Tel Aviv this year.
  • -70kg: With Olympic champion Arai Chizuru not participating, there are several contenders ready to take the title from reigning champ – and top seed - Barbara Matic of Croatia. The list includes former European champion Sanne van Dijke of the Netherlands, Asian Games champion Niizoe Saki of Japan and the French duo of Eve Marie Gahie (world champion in 2019) and Margaux Pinot.
  • -78kg: All eyes are on defending champion Anna-Maria Wagner, who won two Grand Slams this season. The 26-year-old German is expected to fight for a place on the podium with Tokyo 2020 gold and silver medallists Hamada Shori of Japan and Madeleine Malonga of France.
  • +78kg: Tomita Wakaba comes to the Worlds with two Grand Slam titles under her belt (Paris, Hungary). The 25-year-old will be Japan’s big hope in a weight class that in Tashkent won’t be represented by the reigning Olympic (Sone Akira) and world (Asahina Sarah) champions. Other contenders for the title will be two-time former gold medallist Idalys Ortiz of Cuba and three-time European champion Romane Dicko of France.

Men to watch at 2022 world champs

  • -60kg: Chinese Taipei’s Yang Yung-Wei is the world number one in the category and since winning silver at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 he has claimed three Grand Slam titles. The 24-year-old is likely to renew his rivalry with Olympic champion Takato Naohisa, who is unseeded in Tashkent and was chosen by Japan instead of in-form Nagayama Ryuju.
  • -66kg: Judo fans are looking forward to another all-Japanese clash between Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Abe Hifumi (8th seed) and defending champion Maruyama Joshiro (unseeded). At the 2019 Worlds in Tokyo Abe was defeated by eventual champion Maruyama in the semi-final but snatched the Olympic spot a few months later by beating his rival in golden score after an epic winner-takes-all bout.
  • -73kg: Double Olympic champion Ono Shohei missed the Japanese trials due to injury so former world champion Hashimoto Soichi will represent the Asian country at the Worlds. The 31-year-old is expected to contend for the title with Olympic silver medallist Lasha Shavdatuashvili, who took the crown last year in Budapest and tops the world ranking.
  • -81kg: Several top contenders can go for the gold medal in what is considered the toughest of the men’s categories: Olympic champion Takanori Nagase of Japan is arguably the favourite but faces stiff competition from defending champ Matthias Casse of Belgium and world number one Tato Grigalashvili of Georgia. Brazil’s 21-year-old Guilherme Schmidt, who won the Antalya and Hungary Grand Slams, could cause a surprise and upset the field.
  • -90kg Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri returns to a major tournament for the first time since winning gold in Tokyo. His main rival could be compatriot Luka Maisuradze, who clinched the European title in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April. Other contenders include Azerbaijan’s Mammadali Mehdiyev and home favourite Davlat Bobonov, who are world number two and one, respectively.
  • - 100kg Portugal’s Jorge Fonseca will be the man to watch in this category as the 29-year-old – who was bronze medallist in Tokyo - is looking for a third world crown. Michael Korrell of the Netherlands, Shady El Nahas of Canada, Peter Paltchik of Israel, and former world champion Nikoloz Sherazadishvili headline the list of potential rivals.
  • +100kg Olympic silver medallist, and 2018 champion, Guram Tushishvili headlines the heavyweight class. The Georgian may again face Tokyo 2020 champ Lukas Krpalek, but the Czech is unseeded and since the Olympics he has only competed at the Zagreb Grand Prix, finishing seventh. Two-time individual Olympic champion Teddy Riner will miss the event due to injury.

READ: How Chinese Taipei's first-ever judo Olympic medallist became a social media star

2022 World Judo Championships: Schedule

Times are local (GMT+5)

Preliminaries TBC, Final Block 17:00

Thursday 6 October 2022

Women’s -48kg, Men’s -60kg

Friday 7 October 2022

Women’s -52kg, Men’s -66kg

Saturday 8 October 2022

Women’s -57kg, Men’s -73kg

Sunday 9 October 2022

Women’s 63kg, Men’s -81kg

Monday 10 October 2022

Women’s 70kg, Men’s -90kg

Tuesday 11 October 2022

Women’s -78kg, Men’s -100kg

Wednesday 12 October 2022

Women’s +78kg, Men’s +100kg

Thursday 13 October 2022

Mixed Teams

2022 World Judo Championships: How to watch

Broadcast details will be published on the IJF website closer to the start of the event.

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