Israeli Judoka Elbaz Achieves Career Best at World Championships in Baku
Israeli judoka Elbaz achieved a career-best performance at the Judo World Championships in Baku, reaching the quarterfinals and narrowly missing out on a bronze medal.
The Judo World Championships, organized by the International Judo Federation, is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, featuring hundreds of athletes worldwide, including the Israeli national team.
Israeli judoka Elbaz, ranked 50th in the world in the under-73 kg category, achieved the best result of his career. During the tournament, the 27-year-old athlete defeated the world's 6th-ranked American Jack Yonezuka and Bulgarian rival Viktor Skarlatov.
In the quarterfinals, he faced the world's 3rd-ranked competitor, last year's bronze medalist Tohar Butbul—competing under the UAE flag as Tohar Butbul or rather Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov. The opponent took just 37 seconds to defeat the Israeli via submission, and notably refused to shake his hand after the match.
In his final bout for the bronze medal, Elbaz lost to Dyan Bouamtache. Despite the defeat, Elbaz can take great encouragement from the tournament, having narrowly missed out on a substantial financial grant.
