Israeli judoka Kerem Primo won the silver medal Wednesday at the World Judo Championships in Baku, securing Israel’s first medal of the tournament and the biggest achievement of her career.
The 21-year-old, competing in the women’s under-63 kilogram category, lost to Japan’s Haruka Kaju in the final after an impressive run that included victories over the world No. 2 and several other leading competitors.
Kaju controlled the championship bout from the outset. About a minute into the contest, the Japanese judoka scored two yukos after throwing Primo to the mat and holding her down for about 10 seconds. Primo escaped, but Kaju pinned her again and this time the Israeli was unable to break free, ending the contest by ippon.
Despite the defeat, the silver marked a career-best result for Primo, the younger sister of Israeli judoka Gefen Primo, who was eliminated earlier in the championships.
Primo began her standout day with a victory over Italy’s Carlotta Avanzato. She scored an early waza-ari before finishing the contest with an impressive ippon.
Her next bout, against Poland’s Angelika Szymanska, proved far more dramatic. Primo fell behind by a waza-ari and a yuko, but Szymanska, who had already received two penalties, was handed a third for a false attack, giving Primo the victory and a place in the round of 16.
Primo then defeated Australia’s Maeve Coughlan by yuko to advance to the quarterfinals, where she faced a formidable opponent in Mongolia’s world No. 2, Kharlene Yakutogo. Primo rose to the challenge, scoring a waza-ari to secure the victory and a place in the semifinals.
Kerem Primo
(Photo: FERENC ISZA / AFP)
There, she defeated Hungary’s Kriza by ippon after scoring an earlier yuko, guaranteeing herself a medal and a place in the final.
Primo’s silver comes after a difficult start to the championships for the Israeli delegation. On Tuesday, Yonatan Elbaz, competing in the men’s under-73 kg category, became the first Israeli at the tournament to reach the quarterfinals and contend for a medal. He ultimately lost the bronze-medal bout and finished fifth.
Israeli judokas Yitzhak Ashpiz, Gefen Primo, Ohad Moritz, Inbal Shemesh and Timna Nelson-Levy were eliminated in the earlier rounds.
Israel will have another medal opportunity later in the week when Raz Hershko takes to the mat Saturday, returning to the World Championships for the first time since 2023.
Inbar Lanir, who is still recovering from an injury, is expected to return to competition in early 2027.