Israeli Judoka Karem Primo Reaches World Championship Final After Injury Comeback

Israeli judoka Karem Primo will compete in the World Championship final in Baku on Wednesday, having already secured a medal. At just 21 years old, Primo has achieved significant success, including European championships in cadet and junior categories and a junior world championship silver medal. Her career was significantly impacted by a severe knee injury that required three surgeries and nearly two years of absence from competition, returning to the mat in 2025.

Primo's comeback has been marked by a series of strong performances. In 2025, she won two European Junior Cup titles and a bronze medal at the European U21 Championships. Her coach, Shani Hershko, noted the challenging rehabilitation process and her return to the podium after a long break. The significant breakthrough in senior competitions came in 2026 with a bronze medal at the Grand Prix in Austria, followed by another bronze at the Grand Slam in Hungary, her first Grand Slam medal.

Primo entered the World Championships ranked 27th globally. She defeated higher-ranked opponents, including the 7th and 2nd seeds, and secured her spot in the final with an ippon victory in the semifinals against Hungary's Anna Kriza. This guaranteed Israel's first medal of the competition. Primo will face the reigning world champion and world number one in the final match, with a chance to achieve a career-defining victory.

Primo's success adds to a rich history of Israeli judokas achieving success at the World Championships, including Yael Arad, Oren Smadja, Arik Ze'evi, Alice Schlesinger, Yarden Gerbi, Golan Pollack, Tal Flicker, Inbar Lanir, Peter Paltchik, and Raz Hershko. Her sister, Gefen Primo, also won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2021.