It’ll be the big return of Azerbaijan’s superhero, Hidayat HEYDAROV who set out and claimed a European, World and Olympic title in 2024 and is now going to defend the title. The world ranked #1 will certainly have a target on his back, and top contenders looking to knock him off the pedestal are ready.
Current Asia Senior Champion, Shakhram AHADOV (UZB) is in at #2, the 2024 world silver medallist, ISHIHARA Tatsuki (JPN) will be looking for a rematch, he was less than 45 seconds away from a world title, but Heydarov stole it with a kata guruma 25 seconds later.
For Europe, European bronze medallist, Rashid MAMMADALIYEV (AZE) will be in at #6, followed by Italy’s Manuel LOMBARDO who is avoiding a second place trend coming in to Budapest. He gave a stunning performance in the European Championships but again, it was a silver medal finish, to go with his two world silvers, which he has managed to claim in two weight categories.
Akil GJAKOVA (KOS) is taking the final seeded position, despite having some of the most dynamic and exhausting contests in the European Championships, it was a 7th place finish for the Paris Grand Slam finalist. He will be followed by former World Champions, Lasha SHAVDATUASHVILI (GEO) and Nils STUMP (SUI), but also a strong rally of younger judoka.
Joan-Benjamin GABA (FRA) has really made an impact on this weight category in the past year, claiming Olympic silver in front of a home crowd, earning two European Championship bronze medals and is now looking to complete the collection with a world accolade.
Judoka
Author: Thea Cowen