The 2023 Judo World Championships were held at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Doha, Qatar, from May 7 to May 14, 2023 — the 62nd edition of the event. A total of 657 athletes from 99 nations competed for 15 world titles: seven individual weight categories for men, seven for women, and the mixed team championship on the final day. The event also served as the primary Olympic qualification tournament for the Paris 2024 Games, making every result carry ranking implications beyond the individual title. The headline performance of the championships was Teddy Riner’s 11th World Championship gold in the men’s +100kg — the most world titles won by any judoka in history — claimed at age 34 after an unseeded run through the bracket that included a 28-second semifinal ippon win over the world No. 1.
- 657 athletes from 99 nations competed at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Doha, May 7–14, 2023
- Teddy Riner (France) won his record 11th world title in men’s +100kg, defeating Inal Tasoev by waza-ari after 3 minutes 41 seconds of golden score — as the world No. 18 (unseeded)
- Nils Stump (Switzerland) became the first Swiss judoka in history to win a world championship gold, winning men’s -73kg
- Georgia won two individual men’s golds: Tato Grigalashvili (-81kg) and Luka Maisuradze (-90kg)
- Japan won six individual golds and the mixed team title — the most dominant national performance of the championships; Ukraine withdrew in protest of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as Individual Neutral Athletes
Doha 2023: Complete Individual Results — All Weight Categories
The 14 individual gold medals at Doha 2023 were distributed across eight nations, with Japan claiming six and establishing clear dominance across the women’s program and key men’s categories. The complete gold medal results by weight class:
Men’s individual gold medalists: −60kg: Francisco Garrigós (Spain); −66kg: Hifumi Abe (Japan); −73kg: Nils Stump (Switzerland); −81kg: Tato Grigalashvili (Georgia); −90kg: Luka Maisuradze (Georgia); −100kg: Arman Adamian (Individual Neutral Athlete); +100kg: Teddy Riner (France).
Women’s individual gold medalists: −48kg: Natsumi Tsunoda (Japan); −52kg: Uta Abe (Japan); −57kg: Christa Deguchi (Canada); −63kg: Clarisse Agbegnenou (France); −70kg: Saki Niizoe (Japan); −78kg: Inbar Lanir (Israel); +78kg: Akira Sone (Japan).
Mixed team gold: Japan.
Japan’s six individual golds — Abe, Tsunoda, Abe, Niizoe, and Sone (two Abe siblings), plus Agbegnenou’s gold for France and Lanir’s for Israel — reflected the breadth of programs capable of producing world champions in the 2023 cycle. Georgia’s double gold in men’s -81kg and -90kg continued the pattern of Georgian judo’s development into a consistent heavyweight-bracket power. For context on why Japan produces such consistent World Championship depth, the structural factors behind the 2023 dominance run deep.
Ukraine Withdrawal and the Neutral Athlete Controversy
The 2023 Doha World Championships were marked by a significant political decision: the IJF permitted athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (INA), in line with the broader framework that emerged after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine announced its withdrawal from the championships in protest, citing the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes under any competitive status. The most notable INA result was Arman Adamian’s gold in men’s −100kg. The decision to include neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus was contested within the judo community and among national Olympic committees, and it shaped the atmosphere around the event in ways that went beyond the competition results themselves. The contrast between the competitive outcomes — where neutral athletes won medals but did not dominate the program — and the diplomatic tensions the format produced set a context that continued into the Olympic qualification cycle leading to Paris 2024.
Riner’s 11th Title: The Oldest World Judo Champion in History
Teddy Riner entered the 2023 Doha World Championships ranked No. 18 in the world — the result of a reduced competition schedule in the preceding cycle. With no seeding to protect him, he faced a draw that placed him against strong opponents from the earliest rounds. His path to the final included a near-eight-minute quarterfinal against Japan’s Tatsuru Saito (World Championship silver medalist in 2022), followed by a 28-second semifinal ippon win over World No. 1 Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan. In the final, he defeated Inal Tasoev by waza-ari after 3 minutes 41 seconds of golden score. The gold made Riner the oldest World Judo Champion in history — he was 34 years and 36 days old on the day of the final, May 13, 2023 — and gave him his 11th individual world title, the most by any judoka male or female. Riner had previously won world titles in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017. The 2023 Doha gold marked his return to the World Championship podium after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle, during which he had won bronze at the individual event and gold in the mixed team. His complete record across World Tour competition is the most decorated in the sport’s history.
Nils Stump and Georgia’s Double in the Men’s Bracket
Two results in the men’s individual program stood out beyond Riner’s headline win. Nils Stump’s gold in men’s −73kg made him the first Swiss judoka in history to win a World Championship gold medal — a result that reflected Switzerland’s growing investment in elite judo development and Stump’s consistently strong performance on the IJF World Tour in the year leading into Doha. Georgia’s Tato Grigalashvili won men’s −81kg and Luka Maisuradze won men’s −90kg on the same day, giving Georgia two gold medals in consecutive weight categories — a feat that demonstrated both the depth of Georgian judo in the middle-heavyweight range and the effectiveness of the national program’s athlete development pipeline. Both results fed directly into the Olympic qualification cycle: Stump and both Georgian champions arrived at the Paris 2024 Games as ranked contenders based in part on their Doha 2023 performance. For the complete account of what happened at Paris 2024, the trajectory of these athletes from Doha to the Games is part of the narrative.
Mixed Team Final and Olympic Qualification Significance
Japan won the mixed team gold at Doha 2023, defeating the field in a final-day competition that completed the championship program. The mixed team result reinforced Japan’s position as the dominant team program globally — a position they had held at every World Championships mixed team event since the format was introduced in 2017. The Olympic qualification dimension of the Doha championships shaped how athletes and national programs approached every individual event. Since the IJF Olympic qualification system allocates Paris 2024 spots based on accumulated ranking points over a designated qualification period, the World Championships carry the highest available point value — a World Championship gold delivers 2,000 ranking points, the maximum on the tour. This made every Doha result not just a world title decision but a Paris 2024 qualification statement. The 657 athletes from 99 nations who competed in Doha represented the competitive depth of the pre-Olympic cycle: national programs that had prepared across the full 2022–2023 qualification window, targeting both the world title and the ranking points needed to secure Olympic berths for their athletes in the 14 available categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where were the 2023 Judo World Championships held?
The 2023 Judo World Championships were held at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Doha, Qatar, from May 7 to May 14, 2023. It was the 62nd edition of the event, with 657 athletes from 99 nations competing for 15 world titles.
Who won gold at the 2023 Doha Judo World Championships?
Men’s: Garrigós (ESP, -60 kg), Abe (JPN, -66 kg), Stump (SUI, -73 kg), Grigalashvili (GEO, -81 kg), Maisuradze (GEO, -90 kg), Adamian (INA, -100 kg), Riner (FRA, +100 kg). Women’s: Tsunoda (JPN, -48 kg), Abe (JPN, -52 kg), Deguchi (CAN, -57 kg), Agbegnenou (FRA, -63 kg), Niizoe (JPN, -70 kg), Lanir (ISR, -78 kg), Sone (JPN, +78 kg). Mixed team: Japan.
What record did Teddy Riner set at the 2023 Doha World Championships?
Teddy Riner won his 11th individual World Championship gold — the most world titles won by any judoka in history, male or female. He also became the oldest World Judo Champion in history, winning the +100 kg final at age 34 years and 36 days on May 13, 2023, defeating Inal Tasoev by waza-ari after 3 minutes 41 seconds of golden score. Riner was ranked No. 18 in the world (unseeded) entering the event.
Why did Ukraine withdraw from the 2023 Doha World Championships?
Ukraine withdrew from the 2023 World Championships in protest of the IJF’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (INA). Ukraine cited the Russian invasion of February 2022 as the reason for refusing to compete alongside Russian athletes under any format or designation.
What was the significance of Doha 2023 for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification?
Doha 2023 was the primary Olympic qualification event for the Paris 2024 Games — the largest ranking-point event in the qualification period. A World Championship gold delivers 2,000 IJF ranking points, the maximum available at any event. Podium results at Doha directly determined athletes’ Paris 2024 qualification standings across all 14 individual weight categories.