Cuban-born judoka Ayumi Leiva wins bronze at the Baku World Championships, her first world medal

October 9, 2026

Ayumi Leiva Sánchez, a Cuban-born judoka who competes for Spain, won bronze in the under-52 kg division at the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 5, 2026. It is her first medal at a world championships, according to the Royal Spanish Judo Federation and Proyecto FER.

The 24-year-old won her first three bouts, against India's Nungshithoi Chanu Leishangthem, Cameroon's Marie Celine Baba Matia and Hungary's Roza Gyertyas, who had knocked her out of last year's worlds. She lost her semifinal to Japan's Uta Abe, who went on to win gold, then won her bronze-medal bout. Her teammate Ariane Toro took silver in the same division, putting two Spanish judokas on that podium.

The medal came just 25 days after Leiva won the Budapest Grand Slam on September 11, her first title at that level. "The gold in Budapest was very emotional, but if I have to choose, I'll take the bronze in Baku. A world championship is special," she told Proyecto FER. Leiva, who has lived in Valencia since mid-2021, next targets the World Masters in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on December 18 to 20.