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Wakana Koga of Japan, -48kg world champion and world number one, 100Judo graphic

Wakana Koga reaches world No. 1 after Baku gold

Five years after reaching her first senior World Championship final, Wakana Koga has conquered both the world title and the world ranking. On 12 October 2026, the 25-year-old Japanese judoka became the new -48kg world number one, climbing five places to the top with 5,750 points following her golden performance in Baku.

Her victory in Azerbaijan was the reward for a remarkably consistent career. Koga had already collected world silver in Budapest in 2021 and bronze medals in Doha in 2023 and Budapest in 2025. But at her fifth senior World Championships, she finally completed the journey, defeating Italy’s Assunta Scutto in the final.

Behind the medals is a story of family support and a young woman who never stopped looking for ways to improve. Her parents travelled to Baku carrying a Japanese flag covered in messages from her JR East judo club. Among the people guiding her development is Tomoko Fukumi, herself a former -48kg world champion who understands exactly what it takes to reach the top.

Born on 28 June 2001, Koga developed through Japan’s demanding domestic system, studying at Yamanashi Gakuin University before joining JR East. She became junior world champion in Marrakech in 2019 and Asian champion in 2022, while Grand Slam victories in Paris, Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar helped establish her international reputation.

Her head-to-head record on JudoInside reveals another fascinating side of her career. Koga has beaten Scutto in all three of their meetings, but France’s Shirine Boukli remains a particularly difficult opponent, leading their rivalry by five victories to three.

Even after winning the world title, Koga is not entirely satisfied with her judo. Known for her effective ashi-waza and groundwork, she wants to develop more spectacular throwing techniques. That ambition says plenty about Japan’s new world number one: reaching the summit has not reduced her appetite for improvement.