Hifumi Abe said Thursday he hopes to take a first step toward a coveted Olympic gold as he looks to shake off not being selected for the Rio Olympics by becoming the 66-kg world judo champion.

Speaking to reporters at Narita airport before heading to Budapest for the World Judo Championships, which is scheduled to start on Monday, the 20-year-old Nippon Sport Science University student appeared optimistic about his world championship debut.

Abe, whose sister Uta is also a judoka, has every reason to feel confident, coming off victories at the Grand Slam Tokyo in December 2016, Grand Slam Paris in February this year and the national invitational weight class championships in April.