Spanish judoka Ai Tsunoda won her first senior world title on 8 October 2026, beating Austria's Michaela Polleres in the women's -70kg final at the World Judo Championships in Baku. The gold is the sixth world championship title in the history of Spanish judo and the fifth won by an individual Spanish athlete, according to the International Judo Federation (IJF) and Spanish media.
Ai Tsunoda Roustant, competing for Spain in the women's under-70kg category, won the gold medal at the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 8 October 2026, according to the International Judo Federation (IJF). It is the first senior world title of her career.
How the final was decided
Tsunoda defeated Austria's Michaela Polleres in the final. The IJF reported that the contest lasted 7 minutes 21 seconds and was won on penalties. Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE reported that the bout went into golden score (overtime) and ended when Polleres was given a fourth penalty, called hansoku-make under judo rules, 3 minutes 26 seconds into the extra period.
Winning this world title is an incredible feeling. The final was extremely close and difficult but I kept fighting until the very end.
— Ai Tsunoda, quoted by the IJF
Path to the final
According to Catalan outlet ARA, Tsunoda reached the final by beating Azerbaijan's Sudaba Aghayeva, Slovenia's Nika Koren, the Netherlands' Sanne van Dijke and Serbia's Aleksandra Andrić, before facing Polleres.
A rematch after the Paris Olympics
Polleres, who the IJF describes as a double Olympic medallist, had previously beaten Tsunoda in the bronze-medal contest at the Paris 2024 Olympics, leaving the Spanish judoka without a medal at those Games. ARA reported that Tsunoda, 24, described the Baku final as a chance to put that result behind her.
Sixth world title for Spanish judo
Cadena COPE reported that Tsunoda became the fifth Spanish judoka to win a world championship title, and the sixth overall title for Spain, since Niko Shera won twice, in 2018 and 2021.
Spanish world judo champions
Athlete
Year(s)
Weight category
Miriam Blasco
1991
-56kg
Isabel Fernández
1997
-56kg
Niko Shera
2018, 2021
-90kg
Fran Garrigós
2023
-60kg
Ai Tsunoda
2026
-70kg
The IJF noted that Spain had already secured two silver medals and one bronze in Baku before Tsunoda's final, giving the national team a strong overall showing at the championships.
Who is Ai Tsunoda
ARA reported that Tsunoda was born and raised in Lleida, Catalonia, and has mixed heritage: her father, Go Tsunoda, is a judo coach of Japanese descent, and her mother, Céline Roustant, is a French former judoka. ARA also reported that Tsunoda moved to Japan in 2023 to train at Tokai University, and that she was previously a two-time junior world champion before this senior title.
Medal placements confirmed by the IJF: gold for Tsunoda, silver for Polleres, and bronze for Germany's Giovanna Scoccimarro and Russia's Madina Taimazova.
Questions
How many world judo titles has Spain won in total?
Ai Tsunoda's gold in Baku is the sixth world championship title won by Spanish judo, and the fifth won by an individual Spanish athlete, according to Cadena COPE, since Niko Shera won the title twice (2018 and 2021).
Who did Ai Tsunoda beat in the 2026 world final?
She defeated Austria's Michaela Polleres in the women's -70kg final at the World Judo Championships in Baku on 8 October 2026, according to the IJF.
Is this Ai Tsunoda's first world title at senior level?
Yes. The IJF describes it as her first senior world title; ARA reports she had previously been a two-time junior world champion.
Did Ai Tsunoda compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Yes. ARA reports that Michaela Polleres, the same opponent Tsunoda beat in the Baku final, had defeated her in the bronze-medal contest at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Where was the 2026 World Judo Championships held?
The championships took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Tsunoda's -70kg final held on 8 October 2026, according to the IJF.
How the world is telling it
SpanishSpanish-language coverage (Cadena COPE) frames the result as a milestone for Spanish judo as a whole, emphasising the count of national world titles and listing Tsunoda among a short line of Spanish world champions.
CatalanCatalan outlet ARA frames the win through Tsunoda's local roots in Lleida and her mixed Japanese-French-Catalan background, and highlights the win as emotional revenge for her Paris 2024 Olympic defeat to the same opponent.
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