Kazakh judoka Abylaikhan Zhubanazar took fifth place at the 2026 World Championships in Baku. In the bronze medal bout in the under-81 kg category, he lost to Azerbaijan's Omar Rajabli. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The bronze medal bout
In the contest, both athletes received a yuko score, but Rajabli then ended the match early in his favor with an osaekomi hold. Thus, the Azerbaijani representative won bronze, while Zhubanazar finished outside the podium.
Path to the medal bout
Before the medal bout, Zhubanazar defeated Australia's Keisin Oti, Azerbaijan's Vusal Galandar-zade and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Lee Joon-hwan of South Korea. In the semifinal, Zhubanazar lost to 2025 World Championships bronze medalist Zelim Tckaev of Azerbaijan, who scored waza-ari twice.
Zhubanazar's result
As a result, Zhubanazar finished fifth at the World Championships. For the 26-year-old Kazakhstani, this medal could have been his first at the adult World Championships. In 2026, he won the Grand Slam in Lausanne, and also claimed bronze medals at the Asian Championships and the Paris Grand Slam.
Kazakhstan's only medal
After four competition days, Kazakhstan's only medal in Baku was brought by Sherzod Davlatov, who won silver in the under-60 kg category.
About the tournament
The World Judo Championships are being held in Baku (Azerbaijan) from October 4 to 11, with the participation of 622 athletes from 93 countries. Kazakhstan's national team is represented by 15 athletes.