Twenty-one-year-old Timur Arbuzov from Sverdlovsk, Russia, spent a full year contemplating gold, as he emerged victorious at the worldwide judo tournament.
In the heart of Budapest, the World Judo Championships are heating up, and this year's main event has drawn the world's strongest athletes, including the Russians. One such Russian, Timur Arbuzov hailing from Sverdlovsk Oblast, is across the mat in the under 81kg category.
This 21-year-old judo prodigy defied the odds and claimed victory in the final, avenging last year's defeat against Tato Grigalashvili, a three-time world champion from Georgia. For Arbuzov, it was a career first – his first world championship gold medal.
Arbuzov's rapid career growth is nothing short of incredible. Just a few years ago, he was competing at the junior and youth levels, claiming victories like the Russian championship in Yekaterinburg in 2023. The following year, he had an unforgettable season at the senior level, clinching bronze at the "Grand Slam" in Paris and winning the "Grand Slam" in Tbilisi. However, his only redeemable defeat of 2024 was the silver at the World Championships, falling to none other than Grigalashvili once more.
This year, Arbuzov had his chance at redemption, lastly settling the score with Grigalashvili during the European Championships final. The highly anticipated rematch added extra anticipation for the World Championships in Hungary. When the two met again in the final, Arbuzov left nothing to chance, playing aggressively and concluding the match with a stunning "yuko" throw.
The path to the final for Grigalashvili was no walk in the park. In the preliminary rounds, he took down opponents like Turkey's Vedat Albayrak and Bulgaria's Georgi Gramatikov. In the quarterfinals, he barely managed to defeat multiple world champion and Olympic medalist Matthias Cassé of Belgium, only after ten minutes and multiple warnings. In the semifinals, Grigalashvili edged out Azerbaijan's Zelim Kotzayev to advance to the final against Arbusov.
The gold medal match was an intense battle. A bandaged Grigalashvili, who injured his eye en route to the final, struggled to maintain focus on the mat. Arbusov, on the other hand, stayed relentless, eventually throwing the silver Olympic medalist and taking the championship title for himself.
"I'm still in shock, but I'm beyond happy," stated the newly crowned champion. "I didn't want to face a second-consecutive defeat. I've been focused on this gold medal all year, working tirelessly and pushing through injuries to make it happen. Now the hard work begins; my opponents will be ready for me next time."
Timur Arbusov's gold medal marked the first win for the Russian team at the tournament. Earlier, Auyb Bliev had claimed the bronze in the 60kg category. Arbuzov's rise from junior and youth levels to World Champion is an inspiring testament to his talent, dedication, and unyielding spirit in the competitive world of judo.
Sports have embraced Timur Arbuzov, with the Russian athlete making a remarkable ascent from youth and junior levels to becoming the World Champion in judo. His latest triumph came in the under 81kg category at the World Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
