Abe claims fifth world title, Takeoka stuns at -66 kg, Gyertyas lights up Budapest crowd

Euronews

9 hours ago

It's day 2 in Budapest at the OTP Bank World Judo Championships.
Dr. Tamas Sulyok, President of Hungary officially opened the event with IJF President, Mr Marius Vizer and Hungarian Judo Association President Dr Lazlo Toth in the presence of President of the Republic of Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko.
ABE Uta powered her way into the final with precision and control from the first exchange. Her judo was sharp, her focus unshakable, and she looked every bit the champion in waiting. She sailed through the preliminaries, calm under pressure.
In the final, she would face Kosovo's Distria KRASNIQI — a fierce competitor looking for a World title of her own. Krasniqi had been in excellent form throughout the day, battling through the preliminaries with a determination that makes her such a dangerous opponent.
As the gold medal contest approached, both athletes looked sharp, setting the stage for a high-level clash between two world-class judoka.
Ultimately, it was Abe who came out on top once again, claiming her fifth world title in style with ippon! The crowd roared with joy.
Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohito of Mikasa awarded the medals.
In the -66kg, Tajikistan's Nurali EMOMALI made it to the gold medal match after an impressive run through the preliminaries. After taking fifth place at last year's World Championships, one final contest stood between him and history.
His opponent would be Japan's Takeshi TAKEOKA who delivered a brilliant performance, making his way to the final with confident, high-paced judo. Each contest showed his relentless pressure as he drove his way towards his goal, could he prove he belonged among the elite?
In the final, as the two athletes went head-to-head in a tightly contested match, it was a single yuko that proved decisive — a small score in a high-stakes moment that ultimately determined the World Champion.
President of the Republic of Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko awarded the medals.
A highlight for the home nation was Roza GYERTYAS's impressive bronze medal! A moment that lit up the arena and brought the Budapest crowd to their feet.
Join us again tomorrow for more!
World leaders are arriving in Canada on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit in the resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies.
The Group of Seven comprises Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. The European Union is also attending as well as other heads of state who are not part of the G7 but have been invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend and is expected to meet with his American counterpart Donald Trump, a reunion coming just months after their contentious Oval Office encounter, which laid bare the risks of having a meeting with the US president.
Other world leaders will be meeting with Trump both in a group setting and for bilateral talks, which are often precarious as foreign leaders must navigate between placating and confronting him.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will attend and said she expects to have her first in-person meeting with Trump.
Among the other newcomers are German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Ahead of the G7 summit, there are already signs of subtle pushback against Trump from fellow leaders in the group. French President Emanuel Macron planned to visit Greenland over the weekend in a show of European solidarity.
Carney has said the US is no longer the 'predominant' force in the world after Trump's tariffs created fissures in a decades-long partnership between the US and its northern neighbour.
'We stood shoulder to shoulder with the Americans throughout the Cold War and in the decades that followed, as the United States played a predominant role on the world stage," Carney said this past week in French. "Today, that predominance is a thing of the past.'
The new prime minister added that with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the US became the global hegemon, a position of authority undermined by Trump's transactional nature that puts little emphasis on defending democratic values or the rule of law.
'Now the United States is beginning to monetize its hegemony: charging for access to its markets and reducing its relative contributions to our collective security,' Carney said.
Israel's attacks on Iran has added a new wrinkle to the global picture and will likely dominate discussions during the summit.
Other topics will likely include Trump's looming tariffs and the war in Ukraine.
Italy's Meloni has positioned herself as a 'bridge' between the Trump administration and the rest of Europe. But Italy's strong support of Ukraine and Trump's threatened tariffs on European goods have put Meloni, the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration, in a difficult position.
But even as other G7 leaders defuse any public disputes with Trump, the US president's vision for the world remains largely incompatible with what they want.