Harsh Singh reaches round of 16 at World Judo Championships 2026 in Baku

India’s Harsh Singh reached the round of 16 in the men’s 60kg at the World Judo Championships 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 23-year-old advanced after winning two matches by Waza-ari before exiting in the pre-quarter-final.

Singh entered the tournament ranked 83rd in the world and went into the event as an underdog, yet he produced two major upsets to reach the round of 16. His opening draw paired him with Australia’s World No. 40 Pedro Carlos Antun Neto. He then progressed through the early rounds to meet Ruslan Poltoratskii of Bahrain in the Round of 32.

Against Pedro Carlos Antun Neto, Singh overcame the higher-ranked opponent with a convincing display. He secured the victory by Waza-ari to move into the second round. That result set the tone for his next match in Baku.

In the Round of 32 Singh faced 20-year-old Ruslan Poltoratskii, who had won the Asian Senior Judo Championships in Ordos, China in 2026 and risen to World No. 18. Singh produced another major upset, again winning by Waza-ari to book his place in the pre-quarter-finals. The win moved him into the last 16 of the men’s 60kg draw.

In the pre-quarter-final Singh was matched with Azerbaijan’s Ahmad Yusifov. The 27-year-old is World No. 5 and has won medals twice at the European Judo Championships. Yusifov defeated Singh by Ippon to end the Indian’s run in Baku.

Singh had recently taken the gold medal in the men’s 60kg at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. Despite that breakthrough, he was not selected for the Asian Games 2026. He responded to that omission with another solid campaign at the World Championships.

Ahmad Yusifov went on to the final in the men’s 60kg bracket. He is scheduled to face Kazakhstan’s Sherzod Davlatov in the final.