After two days of competition at the World Cadet Championships in Guayaquil, Iran, the medal table tells a story of depth as much as of titles. Kazakhstan continued to lead the way, its judoka reaching 9 medals across 7 of the 11 weight categories contested so far. The wider picture was just as striking: 20 of the 59 countries present had already claimed at least one medal.
Kazakhstan's charge included a second gold, delivered by Fatima Supygaliyeva at -52 kg. Poland's Jagoda Ciupek took the -57 kg title with her trademark o-uchi-gari, Germany's Jolina Reinhold won at -63 kg, Canada's Anes Mati triumphed at -66 kg, and Japan's Genki Fujinaka claimed gold at -73 kg.
One of the day's most remarkable stories came at -63 kg. Japan's Aki Asada arrived in Guayaquil with no previous international event listed in the IJF report, yet defeated world number one Ilaria Tsurkan in the quarter-final before eventually taking bronze.
The broad spread of medals was the defining feature of Day Two. A world championship that is producing champions across five continents is one where the depth of global cadet judo is on clear display.