Japan strengthened its lead in Qingdao, Tckaev and Heydarov opened a new Azerbaijani story in the category up to 81 kilograms
On the second day of the Grand Prix in Qingdao, Japan continued its series of strong performances at the beginning of the new Olympic cycle. According to the official results of the International Judo Federation, Tatsuki Ishihara won gold in the men's category up to 73 kilograms, while Narumi Tanioka was the best in the women's category up to 63 kilograms. With that, the Japanese national team further increased its lead in the ranking of nations at the tournament held from 26 to 28 June 2026 in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao. The IJF states that the competition brought together 500 female and male judoka from 57 countries, which gave the tournament a weight significantly greater than that of a usual early stop in the season. After the completion of the entire tournament, the official IJF ranking shows that Japan remained in first place with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
The second day was especially important because the categories that, in the new cycle toward the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028, can quickly change the international balance of power stepped onto the tatami. In its preview of the tournament, the IJF highlighted that Qingdao was the second competition of the qualification period for LA28, immediately after the opening in Ulaanbaatar. Because of that, the victories in China were not only individual results, but also early indicators of form, the breadth of national teams and the strategic decisions of national staffs. In that context, Japan confirmed its depth in the lighter and middle categories, while Azerbaijan, in the category up to 81 kilograms, obtained a result that goes beyond one gold and one bronze medal. The appearance of Olympic champion Hidayat Heydarov in a higher category opened the question of how one of the strongest judo national teams in Europe will position itself in the next two years.
Ishihara to gold in the unpredictable category up to 73 kilograms
The men's category up to 73 kilograms in Qingdao was one of the most open on the schedule of the second day. According to the IJF report, several experienced competitors from the World Judo Tour failed to reach the final block, while new and less expected candidates imposed themselves in the fight for medals. Shakhram Ahadov from Uzbekistan reached the final after a demanding part of the draw in which, among others, he also defeated the top seed Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov, the representative of the United Arab Emirates. On the other side of the draw, Tatsuki Ishihara gradually built his path toward the final, and the IJF states that before the fight for gold he passed through a series of opponents from Brazil, Russia, Azerbaijan and Sweden. That sequence of victories showed that the Japanese fighter did not depend on a single moment of inspiration, but on a stable tournament performance.
The final between Ishihara and Ahadov, according to the IJF description, developed into a tactical duel between two former winners of the Paris Grand Slam. The fight for the grip marked the opening minutes, and by the middle of the match both judoka had two penalties each. The decisive moment came when Ahadov received a third penalty for a false attack, which ended the bout in favour of the Japanese representative. Ishihara thus won gold without a spectacular final throw, but precisely such a victory underlined the value of patience, control and proper risk management in a category in which decisions are often made on the smallest details. According to the final IJF results, silver went to Ahadov, while the bronzes were won by Bulgarian Victor Skerlev and Makhmadbek Makhmadbekov.
Ishihara's gold is additionally important because of the historical weight of the category up to 73 kilograms in Japanese and world judo. The Japanese winner himself, according to the IJF, said after the final that the rich tradition of that category motivates him toward more disciplined work and constant improvement. In sporting terms, the victory in Qingdao enabled him to impose himself in the early phase of the Olympic cycle, when national teams are only beginning to position themselves and build their internal hierarchy. For Japan, this is another proof that it can count on a wide circle of competitors in categories where expectations are traditionally high. In the global ranking up to 73 kilograms, where every major medal quickly turns into pressure and expectations, Qingdao gave Ishihara an important result on which he can build the continuation of the season.
Tanioka reaches her first World Judo Tour gold through a comeback and golden score
Narumi Tanioka brought Japan the second gold of the day in the category up to 63 kilograms, and she did so after a final that, according to the IJF report, offered one of the most dramatic finishes of the second day. In the title fight, her opponent was South Korean Kim Jisu, who was the first to take the lead in the final. The IJF states that Kim landed a timely o-uchi-gari and led by yuko, but Tanioka did not lose control of the bout. The Japanese judoka equalised the score immediately before the end of regular time and took the match into golden score. In extra time, after two and a half minutes of additional fighting, she managed to hold her opponent on the ground long enough for a new yuko and thereby won the first World Judo Tour gold of her career.
Tanioka's victory has several layers of meaning. First, it confirms Japan's ability to introduce new names in the women's middle categories as well without losing continuity of results. Second, the manner in which she reached gold speaks of mental resilience, because the final bout moved in a direction that could have increased the pressure on a less experienced competitor in the closing stages of a major tournament. According to the statement carried by the IJF, Tanioka emphasised after the final that she believed in her preparation and analysis of the opponent even after falling behind. Third, the gold in Qingdao came in a category in which, already at the beginning of the cycle, very clear messages are being formed about who can withstand the rhythm of international tournaments. That is why Tanioka's result is not only a personal breakthrough, but also an important addition to Japanese competition for future selection decisions.
The official IJF results show that Kim Jisu won silver, while the bronze medals went to Laura Fazliu of Kosovo and Friederike Stolze of Germany. In the same category, fifth places were taken by Yana Makretskaya and Iva Oberan, which confirms that the draw was deep enough for even highly ranked or experienced competitors to remain outside the medals. In its preview of the second day, the IJF especially highlighted that the category up to 63 kilograms was one of the most interesting because of the combination of seeded competitors, Olympic and world medallists and athletes who were looking for an answer after previous appearances in the season. In that environment, Tanioka won a result that is difficult to reduce to a surprise, because she reached gold by winning a bout in which she had to find a solution under the greatest pressure. Precisely such victories often become a reference point for the next appearances.
Azerbaijan with two medals in the category up to 81 kilograms
The greatest strategic attention of the second day was attracted by the men's category up to 81 kilograms. According to the official IJF results, Zelim Tckaev won gold for Azerbaijan, Bernd Fasching of Austria took silver, while the bronzes went to Italian Manuel Parlati and Hidayat Heydarov, also from Azerbaijan. The result is strong in itself, because one national team had two judoka on the podium in a very competitive category. But its importance is greater because Heydarov is the Olympic champion from Paris 2024 in the category up to 73 kilograms, which is confirmed by the official Olympic results of the IJF. His medal in Qingdao shows that the appearance in a higher category was not merely a formal test, but a result that immediately has international weight.
Tckaev, according to the IJF report, left little room for doubt in the final against Fasching. The Azerbaijani judoka hit uchi-mata twice, each time for waza-ari, and thus convincingly concluded the fight for gold. The IJF states that Fasching, with the support of his Austrian colleagues, constantly searched for a solution, but Tckaev in the final looked like a fighter tactically and physically completely ready for the task. After the victory, Tckaev, according to the IJF, emphasised that he and the coaches had developed a precise strategy and that the competition within his own national team, including Heydarov, additionally motivates him. He especially stressed that Los Angeles is the long-term goal, but that his current priority is the 2026 World Championships in Baku. That statement is important because it shows that Azerbaijan does not view Qingdao in isolation, but as part of a broader schedule in which the home world championship carries special weight.
Heydarov's result in the same category opens an additional layer of the story. In Paris 2024, he won Olympic gold in the category up to 73 kilograms, and the official IJF results confirm that he left behind Frenchman Joan-Benjamin Gaba, Moldovan Adil Osmanov and Japanese Soichi Hashimoto. In Qingdao, he appeared in the category up to 81 kilograms and immediately reached bronze, which may mean that Azerbaijan is examining possibilities for a more flexible arrangement of its best judoka in the next Olympic cycle. However, according to the available information, there is no official confirmation that this is a permanent category change. Therefore, it is more precise to speak of an important competitive signal than of a final decision. In any case, the combination of Tckaev as winner and Heydarov as bronze medallist gives Azerbaijan an exceptionally strong starting position in the category up to 81 kilograms.
Qingdao as an early test of the Olympic cycle
The Grand Prix in Qingdao this year had a broader significance than a usual World Judo Tour tournament. In its preview of the competition, the IJF stated that the tournament was held only one week after the opening of the qualification period for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028, so points for the world ranking already gained additional value at this stage. Qingdao thereby became an early test for national teams that want to set the rhythm immediately, avoid falling behind in the ranking and test several possibilities before the cycle enters a denser and more demanding phase. This is especially visible with Japan and Azerbaijan, two national teams that won results of different nature on the second day, but with the same strategic effect. Japan showed breadth, while Azerbaijan sent a message about depth and possible adaptation of weight categories.
According to the official IJF website, Qingdao hosted competitors from five continents, and the schedule on the second day included the men's categories up to 73 and up to 81 kilograms and the women's categories up to 63 and up to 70 kilograms. Such a schedule placed on the same day several categories in which an intense fight for Olympic positions can already be sensed. The qualification system in judo traditionally rewards continuity, because points are collected over a longer period, and every early victory reduces pressure later in the cycle. Because of that, the results in Qingdao are not only an entry in the medal table, but also a starting point for planning the calendar, recovery, selection and internal competition. In that sense, the performances of Ishihara, Tanioka, Tckaev and Heydarov have a value that will also be measured by later tournaments.
Japan remained the most successful nation of the tournament
The Japanese performance in Qingdao was not reduced only to two golds on the second day. According to the final IJF medal table, Japan finished at the top with five gold medals, ahead of the Russian Federation, Germany, Azerbaijan and China. Alongside Ishihara and Tanioka, the Japanese golds at the tournament were won by Hayato Kondo in the category up to 60 kilograms, Hifumi Abe in the category up to 66 kilograms and Kokoro Fujishiro in the category up to 52 kilograms. That distribution of medals shows that Japan achieved the largest part of its performance in the lighter and middle categories, where its national-team depth is traditionally seen most clearly. Additional medals, including silvers and bronzes, ensured that the lead in the ranking was not only the result of individual victories, but of the overall competitiveness of the team.
For Japanese judo, Qingdao came at a moment when, after the Paris cycle, space is again opening for new names and new internal battles. The victories of Ishihara and Tanioka therefore have double value: they brought points and medals, but also intensified competition within a national team that rarely depends on one candidate per category. Precisely such breadth is often the most important advantage in a long Olympic cycle, because injuries, form, the schedule and selection decisions can change the plans of even the strongest national teams. Qingdao showed that Japan, in that process, currently has more gains than open questions. On the other hand, Azerbaijan's results in the category up to 81 kilograms warn that an extremely demanding battle will be fought in the men's middle categories, not only between countries but also within the strongest teams.
The tournament in Qingdao ended on 28 June 2026, but the results of the second day will remain among the most important stories of the entire competition. Ishihara strengthened the impression of Japanese dominance with a patient and tactically mature victory, Tanioka won the most important gold of her senior career so far through a comeback in golden score, and Tckaev confirmed with a convincing final that he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the category up to 81 kilograms. Heydarov, with bronze in a higher category, added a new dimension to Azerbaijani plans, although it is currently not officially confirmed whether this means a permanent change of weight. In the early phase of the road toward Los Angeles 2028, precisely such signals are the most important: they do not give final answers, but they clearly show where new balances of power are beginning to form.
Sources:
- International Judo Federation – official overview of the Qingdao Grand Prix 2026, dates, number of participants, schedule and medal ranking (link)
- International Judo Federation – official results of the Qingdao Grand Prix 2026 by categories (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on Tatsuki Ishihara's victory in the category up to 73 kilograms (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on Narumi Tanioka's victory in the category up to 63 kilograms (link)
- International Judo Federation – report on Zelim Tckaev's gold and the outcome of the category up to 81 kilograms (link)
- International Judo Federation – preview of the second day of the Qingdao Grand Prix 2026 and the context of world-ranking points (link)
- International Judo Federation – article on Qingdao as the second tournament of the qualification period toward LA28 (link)
- International Judo Federation – official results of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the men's category up to 73 kilograms (link)