TEHRAN – Iran’s Sobhan Karimi claimed the silver medal in the men’s 81kg judo competition at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games after narrowly losing to Slovenia’s Maks Cebulj in the final.
Karimi, Iran’s sole representative in judo at the Games, put up a strong fight in the gold medal bout, but Cebulj edged him out with a single yuko score in a closely contested final to secure the gold medal for Slovenia.
Egypt’s Aly Elramly and Bulgaria’s Ivan Nikolchev claimed the bronze medals in the category.
Despite his podium finish, Karimi admitted that he was disappointed not to have won gold, having set his sights on the top of the podium.
“I am not that happy with this medal. I don’t think it is very good. I’m not satisfied with silver because I wanted the gold medal. But thank God, I won silver and will return home with a medal,” he said.
The young Iranian judoka described the competition as a valuable learning experience, particularly in dealing with difficult moments under pressure.
“It was a new experience for me, and it was a difficult moment. I learned how to find a better solution when I find myself in a difficult situation,” Karimi added.
Looking ahead, he vowed to work harder and intensify his training in order to improve his performance and achieve greater success in future competitions.
“I am going to work harder and train more to become better. I want to return to my hometown and celebrate with my family because they have supported me a lot,” he said.
Karimi also revealed that he had switched off his mobile phone before the competition to avoid distractions and remain fully focused on his performance.
“I turned off my cell phone because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I wanted to concentrate on my match,” he concluded.
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