Kazakh judoka Sherzod Davlatov has claimed silver at the 2026 World Championships hosted by the Azerbaijani capital, according to infohub.kz.
The 24-year-old competed in the under-60 kg weight category. On his way to the final in Baku, he defeated five opponents, including Japan's Ryuju Nagayama, the reigning world champion.
In the decisive bout, Davlatov faced Azerbaijan's Ahmed Yusifov, a two-time European Championships medalist. The Kazakh earned a waza-ari but could not close out the win. Yusifov scored an ippon to become world champion for the first time.
Davlatov delivered Kazakhstan's first medal of this year's tournament. The national team finished last year's World Championships with a single silver, won by Abiba Abuzhakynova. Kazakhstan has claimed gold twice — through Maxim Rakov (2009) and Yeldos Smetov (2015).
Another Kazakh, Aman Bakytzhan, won two bouts in the under-60 kg division before exiting in the round of 16. In the under-48 kg category, Abiba Abuzhakynova lost her opening bout, while Galiya Tynbayeva was eliminated in the round of 32.