Japan’s dominance in judo world championships mixed team events continued on Friday as they secured their seventh consecutive gold medal since 2017. The 13-nation tournament featured teams with three men and three women each, with Japan defeating Germany 4-0 in the quarterfinals and Uzbekistan 4-1 in the semifinals. They went on to beat France by the same score in the final held in Abu Dhabi.
In the final against France, a young Japanese team saw 23-year-old Kanta Nakano secure a win in the men’s over-90-kilogram division while 19-year-old Ryuga Tanaka won in the men’s 70-kg category, helping their team establish a 3-1 lead. Eighteen-year-old Komei Kawabata then sealed the win in the fifth bout with a shoulder throw resulting in a combined ippon.
Prior to the mixed teams event, Japan had won three gold medals in individual events through Ryoma Tanaka, Goki Tajima, and Wakaba Tomita. Despite their success, only one judoka heading to the Paris Olympics, Ryuju Nagayama, competed for Japan in the championships hosted in the United Arab Emirates. Nagayama did not advance past the round of 32 in the 60-kg division.