The World Judo Championship of Rio de Janeiro: the Moment Where Records Can Be Broken

The record of the World Judo Championship has many outstanding performances and curious events. In the Marvelous City athletes often overcome themselves

In 1951, four athletes fought against each other on the mats of a tournament organized in Tokyo, Japan. The event in which the only competing category was the absolute one represents the first edition of the World Judo Championship.  In a sixty-year longtime, the competition has been collecting interesting stories, fantastic people and many curious things among which Rio de Janeiro is one of the best places for a judoka to break a record.

The greatest champions in the event’s history, however strange this may seem, are not Japanese athletes. Although the record in terms of medals is held by Naoya Ogawa, considering his four gold and three bronze awards, the greatest champion of all times is the French Teddy Riner, who will fight in the heavyweight category at this year’s World Championship, has five gold medals and one silver. The sport’s phenomenon holds another record: Teddy is the youngest world champion of all times. He won the event’s title when he was only 18, during the 2007 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

Among women, the biggest winner is the Belgian Ingrid Berghmans, who owns six gold, four silver and one bronze medals. In this year’s World Judo Championship, the athlete with most medals is the French Lucie Decosse, with three gold and one silver awards.

Three athletes achieved the amazing performance of winning a world competition when they were 18 years old: the Japanese Ryoko Tani, the Venezuelan Natasha Hernandez and the Cuban Yanet Bermoy; the latter will take part in the World Championship of the Marvelous City. The judoka won the World competition from Cairo, Egypt, in 2005.

The oldest to win the tournament was the Dutch judoka Anton Geesink, who broke the record when he was his 31 in the World Championship of 1965 in Rio de Janeiro. The oldest woman to win the event was the Cuban Drilus Gonzales, who overcame her opponents when she was 33 years old, in Rio de Janeiro as well, in the 2007 edition.  It is obvious that the Marvelous City is a beautiful place to break a record, isn’t it?