Doha hosted the 2023 World Judo Championships from May 7 to 14. Discover a summary of the competition for our Fighting Films judokas.
Nils Stump wins his first world champion title
The 26-year-old Swiss judoka has set his sights on the 2023 World Championships. Following his stellar end to 2022 and an excellent start to the year, the bronze medallist at the 2021 European Championships in the -73kg category was eagerly awaited.
But expectations were more than exceeded. He wins his first world judo title at just 26 years of age after an emotional day. Seeded first, he qualified directly for the second round, which he won by Ippon in less than 2 minutes against the Chinese Daga Qing, ranked 56th in the world.
In the next round, he faced 23-year-old Moldovan Petru Pelivan, ranked 16th in the world, whom he beat by Waza-Ari-awasete-ippon in 1m42s.
Nils’ achievement came in the quarter-finals, when he faced Japanese Soichi Hashimoto, world champion in 2017, runner-up in 2018 and 2022, and third in 2021. The young Swiss managed a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi at the Golden Score, sending him into the semi-finals.
Nils Stump is up against Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Yuldoshev, ranked 7th in the world, whom he defeats by Waza-Ari-awasete-ippon.
Finally, the final pits him against another European, Italian Manuel Lombardo, ranked 6th in the world. He is the reigning European champion and vice world champion in 2021. The fight went all the way to the Golden Score, where he won by Hansoku-make after long minutes of very high-level combat.
Nils Stump represented Fighting Films in the best possible way at the World Judo Championships. Finally, his high-level technique and physical qualities enabled him to win against experienced judokas and multiple medallists. On the other hand, the young Swiss won with his Superstar 750 Gr IJF Fighting Films judo kimono, designed to International Judo Federation standards.
Andreja Leški’s second silver medal
The 26-year-old Slovenian was back after a silver medal in 2021 and a second-round elimination in 2022.
Firstly, she faced a Chinese woman ranked 39th in the world, Jing Tang, whom she beat by a waza-ari.
Then, in the second round, she takes on Nigara Shaheen, ranked 198th in the world and a member of the IJF’s refuges team. Andreja Leški wins in just 15 seconds.
The level rises in the third round when she meets Inbal Shemesh from Israel, ranked 11th in the world. She wins her fight after three shido against her opponent.
In the quarter-finals, the Slovenian faced Kosovo’s Laura Fazliu, ranked 13th in the world. The athlete wearing her Fighting Films competition judogi wins by Waza-Ari-awasete-ippon.
Finally, in the semi-final, she takes on 20-year-old Joanne Van Lieshout from the Netherlands. A fight she won by Golden score on Waza-Ari.
To conclude the day, the Slovenian will once again meet Clarisse Agbegnenou after the final of the World Championships in 2021. In Doha, the Frenchwoman is back after a long absence due to her pregnancy. The Frenchwoman wins on Waza-Ari-awasete-ippon with just seconds remaining in regulation time.
Last but not least, Andreja Leški once again demonstrated her exceptional level in this competition, showing that she is one of the best -63 kg judokas in the world.
Peter Paltchik in the -100kg class
Peter Paltchik has once again added to his already impressive list of achievements. The 2020 European champion and Tokyo Olympic team bronze medallist wins his first world medal.
Peter Paltchik kicked off his competition in the second round against Japan’s Kentaro IIda, ranked 10th in the world. The bout lasted just 40 seconds, enough time for the Fighting Films superstar to score an impressive ippon.
In the next round, he faced Niiaz Iliasov, a Russian judoka, whom he defeated by waza-ari at the end of regulation time.
Then it’s on to the quarter-finals against Zelym Kotsoiev, the world number two in the -100kg class. Peter Paltchik was unfortunately defeated by a Hansoku-make.
Finally, in the catch-up bouts, he won both his bouts against Kazakh Nurlykhan Sharkhan and Canadian and world No.5 Shady Elnahas to claim his first World Championship medal.
Michael Korrel’s Netherlands take team bronze
The reigning European champion in the -100kg class entered the fray on Friday, but was stunned from the outset in his first second-round bout by Hungary’s Zsombor Veg. Unfortunately, his individual career soon came to an end.
But the judoka didn’t give up, and on Sunday he and his Dutch compatriots won bronze.
After beating the Cubans 4-3 in the first round and the Uzbeks by the same score, the Dutch lost to the eventual winners, the Japanese, 4-2.
Michael Korrel wins his third World Championship bronze medal, following his two individual medals in 2019 and 2022.
The remarkable performance of Prisca Awiti Alcaraz
The Mexican judoka didn’t win a medal at these world championships, but her achievements are to be commended.
Indeed, she began the day with a victory over Katarina Kristo, a Croatian defeated by Ippon in 1m30. In the next round, Prisca Alcaraz met Cameroon’s Audrey Jeannette Etoua Biock. In 1m17s she won by Waza-Ari-awasete-ippon.
In the third round, superstar Fighting Films came up against Japanese reigning world champion Megumi Horikawa. Against all the odds, Prisca Alcaraz wins with a Waza-Ari at the Golden Score.
Unfortunately, she lost in the quarter-finals to Lubjana Piovesana. She then defeated Catherine Beauchemin Pinard in the repechage before losing the last bout of the day. She lost the bronze medal to Joanne Van Lieshout.
What an exceptional performance from the Mexican judoka, who had only had one Grand Slam medal since the start of the year, and who came so close to achieving the feat.
