The German judokas missed out on a medal on the first day of the World Championships in Baku. Super-lightweight Sarah Ischt (Wolfsburg) reached the quarter-finals with two wins, but lost in that round as well as in her opening match of the repechage. In the end, the 26-year-old finished seventh in the under-48kg category.
“Sarah competed in four bouts today and won two of them. She certainly didn’t disappoint. We are all very proud of her performance at the World Championships and her seventh-place finish,” said national coach Claudiu Pusa.
World Judo Championships: a key milestone on the road to the Olympics
The World Championships in Azerbaijan’s capital are a halfway point on the road to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This is the second time Baku has hosted the event, following 2018; eight years ago, the German Judo Federation (DJB) won just one bronze medal, secured by the then defending champion Alexander Wieczerzak. At the 2025 World Championships in Budapest, the DJB won one silver and three bronze medals.
The women’s team, led by Olympic silver medallist Miriam Butkereit, will be competing in Baku with nine judokas; only the heavyweight category (+100 kg) remains unfilled. On the men’s side, two judokas have made it to Azerbaijan, joined by three more who will compete exclusively in the Olympic mixed team event at the conclusion of the World Championships next Sunday.