Karem Primo Reaches World Championship Final, Secures Historic Medal

Israeli judoka Karem Primo, 21, has secured at least a silver medal at the World Championships in Baku, marking a historic achievement as the first medal for the Israeli delegation at this year's event. Primo will compete for gold against Japan's Haruka Kage in the final. Regardless of the outcome, this medal will be Primo's first international senior medal, either gold or silver, and will be Israel's 16th overall at the Judo World Championships, and the first since 2023.

This marks Primo's second appearance at the senior World Championships, having previously been eliminated in the round of 32 in Tashkent in 2022. She also competed twice at the European Championships without advancing past the round of 32.

Primo, the younger sister of fellow judoka Gefen Primo, who won a World Championship medal in 2021 and two European Championship medals, has had a notable career despite setbacks. She achieved early success in cadet and junior European championships and won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships. However, her career was interrupted for nearly two years due to an ACL tear sustained at the Budapest Masters in 2023. She returned to competition in 2025 and has since earned three senior bronze medals: at the Grand Prix Austria and Grand Slam Budapest in 2026, and at the European Open in Zagreb in 2021.