The highest accomplishment by a Sri Lankan judo player was achieved by Italy-based judoka Rajitha Nuwarapaksha, who gained the 128th position in the world rankings in a historic moment for Sri Lankan judo. At the Judo Grand Slam Tokyo 2023, which took place in Tokyo from December 1 to 5, this incredible feat was achieved.
Rajitha, who entered the competition ranked 211th in the world, had to contend with the 52nd-ranked Nurbek Murtozoev of Uzbekistan. Rajitha won a close fight that lasted more than three minutes, earning a significant amount of points for his first-round victory.
Rajitha faced a formidable opponent from Ukraine, who was rated 26th in the world, in the second round. Rajitha lost despite a fierce fight that lasted almost three minutes. If he had won, he would have faced the best player in the world and had a chance to win a medal.
Rajitha was competing in the 81 kg weight class, which had 49 other competitors. In the world judo rankings, he was ranked 211th before the tournament. There were 506 participants competing in the event, representing 84 different nations.
Rajitha moved up to the 211th position in the world rankings six months ago after scoring 84 points in the opening round of the Austrian Grand Prix. Notably, he was ranked 496th in the world rankings before to that competition.
Rajitha is preparing for the Portugal Grand Slam and Paris Grand Prix, two more world championship events that are slated to take place in the early months of 2019. His goal is to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris by obtaining a world rating lower than 75. Rajitha is still on his road, aiming to achieve further success in the world of international judo.
