Alice Bellandi claims women's 78kg gold at judo world championships

BUDAPEST, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Olympic champion Alice Bellandi lived up to expectations by winning the women's 78kg gold medal in a grueling final on the sixth day of the World Judo Championships on Wednesday.

In the final against 22-year-old German rookie Anna Monta Olek, Bellandi scored no positive points, leaving the match tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, with both athletes having received two penalties. In a tense golden score period, nearly six minutes passed before Bellandi executed a counter for a yuko to seal the victory.

"In my mind, every time, what I saw was 'Olympic champion is out, world champion is out'. This was a challenge for me. But aside from this, you just need to be happy in what you're doing, and the rest is just a bonus," Bellandi said. She remains the only 2024 world or Olympic champion to claim gold at this year's championships in Budapest so far.

Kurena Ikeda of Japan and Patricia Sampaio of Portugal took home bronze medals, while Ma Zhenzhao of China and Metka Lobnik of Slovenia finished in fifth place.

Japan leads the medal standings with six golds, three silvers, and four bronzes after six days of competition. The heavyweight events will take place at the Papp Laszlo Arena in Hungary's capital. ■