Historic wins and shocking upsets: 2024 Judo World Championships recap

History made all around the world

The 2024 Abu Dhabi World Judo Championships were marked by incredible performances from a diverse array of countries, highlighting the global reach and inclusivity of the sport. Athletes from Finland, Sweden, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan made their mark, bringing home medals and Olympic quotas.

The last time a Finnish judoka stood on the world championship podium was in 1981 when Juha Salonen claimed a bronze medal at the Maastricht World Championships in the +95kg category.

Fast forward 43 years, and on 19 May, 25-year-old Luukas Saha stepped onto the mat at the Abu Dhabi World Championships ranked 38th in the world. Saha had virtually no hope of securing a quota for the Paris Olympics, being ten places shy of direct qualification. Yet, the Finnish judoka delivered a spectacular performance, ending the medal drought by winning the bronze in the -66 kg category and securing his Olympic quota in the process.

“It’s been more than 40 years since a Finnish judoka won a world medal,” Saha said in an IJF interview. “This is a special feeling for sure. I’m glad someone finally did it and I’m glad it’s me because I put the work in towards it, we all did. This is exactly the result I think we all needed, as a team. This is something to lift everyone’s spirits and make them believe they can really do it.”

Sweden also celebrated a historic moment at the Abu Dhabi World Championships as Tara Babulfath captured her first senior world championship medal. The 18-year-old judoka, who had previously won cadet world medals in 2022 and 2023, claimed her first senior world bronze this week.

This makes her only the second female athlete in the history of Swedish judo to win a medal at the Senior World Championships. Babulfath’s performance has secured her quota for the Paris Olympics, where she has the potential to become Sweden’s first Olympic medalist in judo.

In the -73 kg category, Somon Makhmadbekov put Tajikistan back on the world podium winning his country’s second world championship medal in Tajikistan’s history, following Rasul Boqiev’s bronze in 2007. His medal marked a significant achievement for Tajik judo and a source of immense national pride.

Erlan Sherov won the first-ever world championship medal for Kyrgyzstan, by securing bronze and setting an example for the future generations of judoka in his country.