2022 Judo World Masters

The tournament was described in pre-event coverage as the largest judo competition Israel had ever hosted.[3] Organizers scheduled the event during Hanukkah and arranged the match days to avoid falling on Shabbat, a scheduling decision that could reduce attendance and revenue.[2] The competition featured the 36 highest-ranked athletes in each weight category, with a gold medal worth 1,800 ranking points, compared with 1,000 points for gold at a Grand Slam event; silver was worth 1,260 points and bronze 900.[2]

The Masters followed several major international judo events hosted in Israel: the 2018 European Championships, the 2019 and 2020 Grand Prix, and the 2021 and 2022 Grand Slams, all held in Tel Aviv.[3]

A total of 23 Israeli athletes — 12 men and 11 women — were entered in the competition.[3] The women's contingent included Shira Rishony and Tamar Malca (up to 48 kg), Gefen Primo (up to 52 kg), Timna Nelson-Levy (up to 57 kg), Gili Sharir, Kerem Primo, and Inbal Shemesh (up to 63 kg), Maya Goshen and Maya Kogan (up to 70 kg), Inbar Lanir (up to 78 kg), and Raz Hershko (over 78 kg).[3]

The men's delegation comprised Matan Kokolaev and Yam Wolczak (up to 60 kg), Baruch Shmailov and Tal Flicker (up to 66 kg), Tohar Butbul and Ido Levin (up to 73 kg), Sagi Muki and Yiftach Badash (up to 81 kg), Li Kochman and Guy Gurevitz (up to 90 kg), Peter Paltchik (up to 100 kg), and Serafim Kompaniets (over 100 kg).[3] Timna Nelson-Levy was the only Israeli ranked first in her weight category and was slated to enter in the round of 16.[3]

The draw paired Sagi Muki with Brazil's Guilherme Schmidt, then ranked fourth in the world, in the first round. Pre-event coverage assessed relatively favorable routes through at least the quarterfinals for Primo, Lanir, Hershko, Shmailov, Butbul, and Paltchik.[3]

The international field brought together many of the sport's leading competitors, including Denis Vieru of Moldova, Michael Korrel of the Netherlands, Temur Rakhimov of Tajikistan, Lucy Renshall of Great Britain, Matthias Casse of Belgium, Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo, Francisco Garrigós of Spain, and Saeid Mollaei, an Iranian-born judoka representing Azerbaijan.[3] Pre-event reports noted that it was Mollaei's second time competing in Israel.[3]

A final preview expected almost 370 competitors. France was projected to have the largest delegation, with 26 athletes, followed by the Netherlands with 19 and Uzbekistan and Italy with 17 each. The United Arab Emirates and Morocco each sent two competitors and were the only Arab countries represented.[3]

Among the notable absences was French heavyweight champion Teddy Riner, who withdrew after initially intending to participate.[4] Riner had injured his right ankle during a training camp in Morocco in August 2022 and, after resuming training in Japan in early November, decided he needed more time to prepare for upcoming competitions, starting with a Paris tournament in February 2023.[4]

The competition's headline result for Israel came on the first day, when Baruch Shmailov won the men's under-66-kilogram gold medal by defeating France's Daikii Bouba in the final.[1] At 28 years old, Shmailov described the Jerusalem gold as his fourth Masters medal overall and his first gold at the event representing Israel; he had previously won silver at the 2018 Judo Masters in Guangzhou, China, and had finished fifth in his category at the Tokyo Olympic Games.[1]

Raz Hershko earned a bronze medal in the over-78-kilogram category, adding to Israel's podium tally.[5] Before the tournament, Hershko had spoken about the significance of the competition: "It's a competition with the top 36 in the world. Everyone wants to prove what they haven't managed to prove so far this year, and we'll have the best crowd possible."[3] Peter Paltchik, who had won bronze at a prior Masters in Qatar, hoped to improve on that result in Jerusalem.[3]

Gefen Primo came close to a bronze medal but was eliminated by Italy's Odette Giuffrida.[1] Timna Nelson-Levy, Shira Rishony, and Tal Flicker were all eliminated in the early rounds.[1] Iranian-born judoka Saeid Mollaei, who represented Azerbaijan, won a silver medal at the tournament.[6][3] After leaving the venue, he was approached by members of Israel's Persian community and others who told him how much his presence and achievement meant to them; Mollaei recalled that it was an honor for him as well.[6]

The Jerusalem Masters carried exceptional weight in the qualification cycle for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, with its ranking points substantially exceeding those offered at Grand Slam events.[1][2] Shmailov's gold was subsequently highlighted in retrospective Israeli sports coverage as one of his leading achievements at the end of 2022.[7]

The tournament was scheduled during Hanukkah and arranged to avoid Shabbat, despite possible effects on attendance and revenue.[2] Its place in a series of European Championships, Grand Prix, Grand Slam, and Masters events hosted in Israel reflected the country's established role in staging major international judo competitions.[3]

Contemporary Israeli reports differed in their descriptions and projections. Ynet initially announced dates of December 19–21, expected approximately 500 athletes, and called the Masters the third-most important and largest judo tournament after the Olympic Games and World Championships.[2] Sport5, reporting on December 19, said competition would begin on December 20, expected almost 370 athletes, and described the Masters as second in importance after the World Championships and ahead of Grand Slam events.[3] These differences reflected pre-event estimates and differing methods of ranking the tournament's status.