A 17-year-old Ukrainian has won gold at the World Judo Championship, becoming the youngest world champion in judo history.
At the competition, which runs from Sept. 20 to 27 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Daria Bilodid defeated the reigning Olympic champion, Argentinian judoka Paula Pareto, in the extra lightweight division (less than 48 kilograms) semifinals.
Then, in the finals, she defeated the reigning world champion, Japanese judoka Funa Tonaki, using a foot sweep to throw her opponent to the floor and claim the gold medal.
Bilodid becomes the first Ukrainian woman and the second Ukrainian overall to win the world championship. In 2009, judoka Heorhiy Zantaraya took the gold at the world championship in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
“Today, I became a world champion. I still cannot believe it,” Bilodid wrote in Russian in a post on Instagram. “Thank you to all the people who rooted for me. I felt your support. It’s great. Without you, this would not have happened.”
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