The French delegation will leave Thursday without a gold medal at the world judo championships in Baku, though the team may still secure a third bronze medal. Last year in Budapest, France won a gold medal at the world championships, thanks to Joan-Benjamin Gaba in the -73kg category. The chances of repeating that success in 2026 in Baku are diminishing. This Thursday, the -90kg and -70kg categories were in contention, and it is already known that La Marseillaise, France's national anthem, will not be heard at the end of the day. At best, France will win a bronze medal, which would be the third after those of Shirine Boukli (-48kg) and Dayyan Boulemtafes (-73kg). Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou (25 years old) will compete in the repechage final in the -90kg category. The world number 14, a bronze medalist in the -90kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympics, fell in the semifinals against a stronger opponent. He defeated the Czech David Klammert with an ippon and dominated after the golden score after 6'02 of combat against the Brazilian Rafael Macedo (world number 4), whom he had just beaten in Paris 2024 to win the bronze medal. In the quarterfinals, he needed 2'22 to defeat the Azerbaijani Eljan Hajiyev with an ippon, before going to the golden score again after 5'30 of combat against the Uzbek Nurbek Murtozoev. The obstacle remained Sanshiro Murao in the semifinals. The Japanese competitor defeated Ngayap Hambou, putting him ippon after 3'25 of combat. Ngayap Hambou will therefore have to fight for the bronze medal against the Serbian Boris Rutovic (world number 11), who had beaten him in June last year during their first encounter. Aleksa Mitrovic (24 years old, world number 65) has the particularity of competing without a cruciate ligament, having already been operated on seven times in the past. He was eliminated during the first repechage match, after a day that saw him defeat several top contenders. The recent winner of the Mediterranean Games began his day with a victory on ippon against the world number 13, the Uzbek Umar Bozorov, in 2'58. He then defeated the world number 6, the South Korean Jonghoon Kim, at the golden score (after 5'21), before eliminating the Czech Adam Kopecky, world number 10, on ippon (after 2'20). But the Frenchman did not achieve a new feat in the quarterfinals, falling on ippon (after 3'32) against the Azerbaijani Murad Fatiyev, world number 3. In his first repechage match, against Boris Rutovic, he was defeated on ippon on the four-minute gong. On the women's side, only Clémence Eme was in contention for France in the -70kg category. The 29-year-old judoka lost in the quarterfinals. The world number seven had started well, with a victory on ippon after 2'31 against the Greek Elisavet Teltsidou (world number 11). But she was caught in the quarterfinals by the world number 15, the Brazilian Nauana Silva, who won with a waza-ari.