Denis Vieru wins his third World Judo Championships bronze medal
Moldovan judoka Denis Vieru won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Baku in the under-66 kg category. In the third-place contest, he defeated Russia's Murad Chopanov. It was the third World Championships bronze medal of his career, following podium finishes in 2019 and 2022.
To reach the podium, Vieru had to compete in another bout after losing his semi-final to Spain's David García Torné. Earlier in the tournament, the Moldovan athlete had defeated France's Daiki Bouba, Brazil's Ronald Lima and Tajikistan's Nurali Emomali.
A counterattack late in the bronze-medal bout
In the decisive contest, Vieru faced European champion Murad Chopanov, who also holds several Grand Slam medals. The bout featured an intense battle for grips. A brief counterattack late in the contest secured victory for the Moldovan judoka.
After the final signal, the opponents exchanged gestures of respect. Japan's Hifumi Abe won gold in the weight category, finishing the final against García Torné with an ippon throw in one minute. It was Abe's fifth world championship title.
What Vieru said after returning to Chișinău
The athlete arrived in Chișinău on October 9. At the airport, he was welcomed by relatives, representatives of sports organisations and his first coach, Victor Cozac. The coach recalled that Vieru used to be the first to arrive for training and the last to leave.
In an interview with Radio Moldova, Vieru said that so far he had only won bronze at the World Championships, but intended to keep working towards a higher result. His parents welcomed him with his favourite coffee-flavoured cake. The judoka joked that he would enjoy it with a cup of coffee, but without overindulging.
Vieru won World Championships medals in Tokyo in 2019, Tashkent in 2022 and Baku in 2026. In between, he earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won European Championship gold twice. As of October 15, Vieru ranks tenth in the IJF world rankings in the under-66 kg category.