Yousef Alfajare Claims Silver on World Championships Veterans Debut in Sarajevo
September 22, 2026
Yousef Alfajare (Grimsby JC) claimed Great Britain’s first medal of the week on day two of the 2026 Sarajevo World Championships Veterans, taking an impressive silver medal on his debut at the event.
Competing in the M3 +100kg category, Alfajare was making his first World Championships appearance and his first international outing since winning gold at the 2024 Hamburg Veteran European Cup.
He began his campaign in the Round of 16 against Tibor Guban (SVK). It proved to be a hard-fought contest, with the bout remaining level throughout before being decided by shidos. Alfajare progressed after Guban received a third shido and was given hansoku-make, sending the Brit through to the quarter-finals.
Into the quarter-final, Alfajare faced Denys Sabatovskyi (AUT) in another tense encounter. Both judoka picked up two shidos before the halfway point, leaving little room for error. With the pressure on, Alfajare produced a superb ippon, catching his opponent off guard to secure his place in the semi-finals.
A place in the final was on the line against Denis Iudin (RUS). Alfajare delivered a composed and disciplined performance, taking the lead with a yuko with just over a minute remaining before defending it superbly to book his spot in the final block.
Waiting in the final was Adam Okruashvili (GEO), one of the most experienced competitors in the division. The Georgian is a two-time Olympian, a former Senior World Championships bronze medallist (2015) and a European champion (2013), with a long career on the IJF World Tour.
Congratulations, Yousef!
