Sport
Israel's Sagi Muki crowned judo world champion in Tokyo
He defeated Belgium's Matthias Casse to claim the title
August 28, 2019 15:44
He defeated Belgium's Matthias Casse to claim the title
August 28, 2019 15:44Israel's Sagi Muki has won the gold medal in the World Judo Championships men's under-81 kilogram category in Tokyo.
Muki, 27, will be hoping to stand on the same podium in the same arena in less than 12 months and hear the Hatikvah again, when the Olympics are held in Japan.
He becomes the first-ever Israeli to become a world champion in men's judo competition – Yarden Gerbi won the women's world championship in the under-63 kilogram category in 2013.
Muki ranked number two beat Belgium's Matthias Casse, ranked fourth in the competition in the final. He beat Mohamed Abdelaal in the semi-final after the Egyptian refused to shake hands with him after the bout.
Muki said: "We don't have many successes in other sports and every medal like this makes big headlines and stirs up a lot of emotions not only for me but for a lot of others.
"Such a win gives me strength. It brings everybody together. I've now got bigger goals - the Olympics – I'll put everything I've got into it and hope I can go all the way."
Muki finished a disappointing fifth in the Rio Olympics in 2016 where he was plagued by a back injury.