João Fernando’s journey at the World Championships in Budapest came to an end in the third bout of the -81 kg category. He finished ninth overall. Before that, he had a big win over the top favorite for gold.
At the László Papp Arena, João Fernando lost to Nugzari Tatalashvili from the United Arab Emirates in the round of 16. The Emirati judoka won by ippon in just 34 seconds of the golden score period. That’s the extra time added after the regular four minutes of fighting.
Earlier, João Fernando had a great start. He beat Hungarian Atila Ungvari in the first round with a waza-ari. Then, he took down Somon Makhmadbekov, the top seed from Tajikistan, who’s a bronze medalist from the Olympics and Worlds.
Other Portuguese judokas competed earlier in the championships. Catarina Costa, Miguel Gago, and Otari Kvantidze were all out after their first bouts. Taís Pina will fight on Tuesday, and Patrícia Sampaio and Jorge Fonseca will compete on Wednesday.
Portugal’s Judokas at the Worlds
The championships have been a mix of highs and lows for the Portuguese team. While João Fernando had some big moments, others didn’t fare as well. Here’s how they’ve done so far:
- Catarina Costa: out after the first bout in the -48 kg category
- Miguel Gago: eliminated in the first round of the -66 kg category
- Otari Kvantidze: lost his first bout in the -73 kg category
- João Fernando: finished ninth in the -81 kg category
- Taís Pina: competing on Tuesday in the -70 kg category
- Patrícia Sampaio: fights on Wednesday in the -78 kg category
- Jorge Fonseca: competes on Wednesday in the -100 kg category