Although the 37 athletes are skilled, their quantity is relatively small compared to the previous years in this category, which had 42, 46, 68, and even 74 participants. The question remains whether anyone can prevent Olympic Champion Naohisa Takato from winning his fifth World title. Takato won his first gold medal in 2013 in Rio and dominates with his unique and captivating judo style, while also using his intelligence in fights.Yang and Takato are both ranked as world number 1 and 8, and may face each other in the quarter finals to determine who will advance to the top positions. Sardalashvili, a young competitor, is in the same pool as Fran Garrigos from Spain, another European contender. Jeon from Korea and Revol from France also have potential to advance.Watching Yang Yung Wei from Taiwan is always fascinating because he’s a skilled fighter, but he’s struggled in the past when facing Japanese opponents like Takato. Giorgi Sardalashvili from Georgia has an unconventional fighting style and could potentially surprise everyone as a lesser-known contender.The lightweight division U60kg has 37 male participants, which is fewer than the 45 female participants on the first day of the World Championships. On Sunday, the lightweights will commence their quest for gold and valuable points in the Olympic Qualification for the Paris Games. Naohisa Takato of Japan is expected to be the top favorite, despite not having competed internationally this year. There is no one quite like him in terms of skill and ability.Balayan Aghayev (AZE) is a strong contender sitting across the table. He has a favorable draw, with last year’s impressive performer and world runner-up Ariunbold Enkhtaivan and the seasoned former world champion Yeldos Smetov (KAZ) also in his pool.Harun Lee, the top-ranked man from Korea, and Jorre Verstraeten from Belgium are allies. However, Verstraeten may face a challenging opponent in Luka Mkheidze, the Olympic bronze medallist from France.
