Day two of the 2025 World Judo Championships in Budapest opened with a vibrant Hungarian cultural performance before shifting to action in the -52kg and -66kg divisions.
Japan’s Uta Abe delivered the standout performance, capturing her fifth world title with a stunning ippon victory over Kosovo’s Distria Krasniqi in the -52kg final. The win marked a powerful comeback for Abe after a disappointing Olympic loss in Paris 2024.
“It’s been a long year since the Olympics. This means a lot,” Abe said. Her focus never wavered, even with her brother Hifumi Abe exiting early. “It was just about me today.”
Abe had hoped to face Diyora Keldiyorova, the Uzbek Olympic champion who defeated her in Paris, but was proud of her performance nonetheless.
In the -52kg division, bronze medals went to Germany’s Mascha Ballhaus and Hungary’s Roza Gyertyas, whose home crowd roared during her celebration.
Meanwhile, in the -66kg category, Japan’s Takeoka Takeshi claimed his first world title, upgrading last year’s silver and signaling a potential new rivalry in Japan’s deep lightweight field.
