Lytvynenko wins UAE's first world judo title at 78kg as Sulamanidze beats Arai to 100kg gold in Baku

The United Arab Emirates won its first world judo title on Friday at the World Judo Championships in Baku. Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko beat France's Kaila Issoufi with two waza-ari scores in the women's -78kg final. Later in the session, Georgia's Ilia Sulamanidze won his first world title, beating Japan's Dota Arai in a close, tactical -100kg final at the National Gymnastics Arena.

This follows our report on day five, when Sanshiro Murao and Ai Tsunoda Roustant won gold at 90kg and 70kg. Day six was for the last weight classes before the heavyweights.

Lytvynenko makes history for the Emirates

Lytvynenko, 22, was born in Ukraine and won world bronze for Ukraine in 2022. She has competed for the UAE since September 2025. She came to Baku ranked second in the world, according to Euronews. In the final, Issoufi held her off for about two minutes. Then Issoufi made a rushed attack, and Lytvynenko countered for the first waza-ari. Issoufi hesitated in a later exchange, and Lytvynenko threw her with uchi-mata for a second waza-ari, which won the contest.

The IJF said this was the UAE's first ever gold at a World Championships. It was also the country's second medal of the week, after a silver earlier in Baku. Speaking to the IJF afterwards, Lytvynenko said she was proud to be the first world champion from the UAE.

The two bronze medals went to world number one Anna-Monta Olek of Germany and Japan's Kurena Ikeda. Olek beat Yael van Heemst of the Netherlands with a tsuri-goshi throw for waza-ari and then a kesa-gatame hold. Ikeda scored a yuko with tomoe-nage against Portugal's Patricia Sampaio and held on. She also won bronze at the 2025 Worlds in Budapest.

Sulamanidze edges Arai in a tight final

Sulamanidze, 25, won world bronze in 2021. He has won six Grand Slam titles, the most recent in Lausanne this year. Before Baku he had beaten Arai in both of their previous meetings. The 2026 final was decided by one yuko, and it was a close call. Arai's attack first looked as if it had scored. On review, the referees ruled that Sulamanidze had taken control and turned Arai onto his hip, so the score went to the Georgian.

Arai won world bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025, so he has now lost two world finals in a row. Sulamanidze celebrated by calling it a "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious moment," according to Euronews.

Italy's Gennaro Pirelli won his first senior world medal. He beat Uzbekistan's Turdiev in a bronze medal contest that featured several penalties, scoring a yuko with ko-uchi-gari. Niiaz Bilalov won the other bronze, beating his fellow Russian Adamian with a counter.

Heavyweights today, mixed teams on Sunday

The individual events finish on Saturday 10 October with the men's +100kg and women's +78kg divisions. Baku is four hours behind Malaysia, so the evening final block will be on Saturday night in Malaysian time. The championships end on Sunday 11 October with the mixed team event.

Japan has won several titles this week, including through Hifumi and Uta Abe, Murao and Tsunoda Roustant. Day six showed how spread out the medals have become below the top level, with the UAE, Georgia, France, Germany, Italy and Russia all reaching the podium. Japan still won two medals on the day through Arai and Ikeda.

Why it matters

Lytvynenko's gold gives the UAE its first world champion, barely a year after she began competing for the country. For Georgia, Sulamanidze's win at 100kg adds to Lasha Grigalashvili's fourth world title at 81kg earlier in the week. Georgia remains one of the strongest judo nations among the heavier weight classes.

Key takeaways

• Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko won the UAE's first world judo gold, beating Kaila Issoufi with two waza-ari at -78kg.
• Ilia Sulamanidze won his first world title, beating Dota Arai at -100kg with a yuko that was confirmed on review.
• Arai has lost two world finals in a row after his 2024 bronze.
• Gennaro Pirelli and Niiaz Bilalov won 100kg bronze, and Anna-Monta Olek and Kurena Ikeda won 78kg bronze.
• The heavyweight titles are decided on Saturday, and the mixed team event closes the championships on Sunday.

FAQ

Who is Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko? She is a 22-year-old -78kg judoka. She was born in Ukraine, won world bronze for Ukraine in 2022 and has competed for the UAE since September 2025.

When do the 2026 World Judo Championships end? The championships end on Sunday 11 October in Baku with the mixed team event. The individual heavyweight finals are on Saturday 10 October.

How did Sulamanidze win the final? He won with one yuko. Arai's attack first looked like a score, but the review ruled that Sulamanidze had control of the exchange.

Sources: IJF, Euronews, JudoInside