Abe Siblings Strike Gold Together at World Judo Championships

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:57 JST, May 9, 2023

DOHA — The sibling act has put on another golden performance.

Japan’s sibling duo of Uta and Hifumi Abe both won second straight world titles and their fourth overall on Monday at the World Judo Championships in Doha, putting them on track for a shot at defending their Olympic gold medals next year in Paris.

Uta won the women’s 52-kilogram gold by defeating Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova in the final by ippon, while Hifumi triumphed at men’s 66-kilogram with a victory by cautions in an all-Japanese final over Joshiro Maruyama.

The two golds give Japan three out of four after two days of the eight-day tournament.

As they did two years ago at the Tokyo Olympics and last year at the Tashkent worlds, the two were able to step up to the top of the medal podium on the same day. But there still remains a bigger goal ahead.

“We want to celebrate our big victories today, but our goal is to win golds again at the Paris Olympics,” said Hifumi, at 25 the older of the two by three years. “We will continue competing without resting on our laurels from here.”

With their victories, the Hyogo Prefecture natives are on the inside track for Paris. The All Japan Judo Federation will announce its tentative team as early as June from among the top competitors in each weight class.