Men's Extra Lightweight (-60kg)
Japan has medalled at the last three Olympics, winning gold in Tokyo. Ryuju Nagayama (Japan) will represent them here. He is a double World Championship bronze medalist and has won three World Masters. He won two grand slam events in 2022 and 2023. There are two returning medalists from Tokyo. Yang Yung-Wei (Taiwan) won silver, as he did at the 2024 World Championship. Luka Mkheidze (France) won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. He won two slam events in 2023 and won in Paris earlier in the year. He was also the 2023 European Champion after winning silver in 2021. Francisco Garrigos (Spain) won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2024. He was the 2023 world champion, improving on bronze from 2021. Giorgi Sardalashvili (Georgia) had his own improvement, from bronze in 2023 to winning gold in 2024. Yeldos Smetov (Kazakhstan) was the other Tokyo medalist, winning bronze as he did at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships. Dilshodbek Baratov (Uzbekistan) was a semi-finalist at the 2022 World Championship before winning silver in 2023. Enkhtaivany Ariunbold (Mongolia) was the silver medalist in 2022 in both the World Championship and World Masters. Kim Won-jin (South Korea) won the World Masters in 2021 and lost in the 2023 semi-final. He also won Grand Slam events in 2022 and 2023 but I am quite surprised he is the Korean selection. Tornike Tsjakadoea (Netherlands) also has a World Masters podium, finishing third in 2021. He has made semi-finals in a grand slam event in each of the last two seasons. Balabay Aghayev (Azerbaijan) won in 2022 and 2023, including taking the victory in Paris. He was also runner-up at the 2024 European Championship. That was Dilshot Khalmatov (Ukraine) in 2023 and he finished second in Grand Prix events in 2022 and 2023. Salih Yildiz (Turkey) won bronze at the 2024 European Championship and has lost in two slam semi-finals this year. Yam Wolczak (Israel) was runner-up in the 2024 Grand Slam event in Tbilisi. Jorre Verstraeten (Belgium) has become a bit of a semi-final specialist, losing in the 2022 European Championship, the 2023 World Championship and two Grand Slam events in 2023. Michel Augusto (Brazil) won at the 2023 Pan American Games, whilst Ashley McKenzie (Jamaica) who previously represented Great Britain won the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As always, the judo divisions are so hard to call. Of the Tokyo medalists, I prefer Mkheidze over Yung-Wei and Smetov, especially at home. Nagayama is an obvious contender. Garrigos has all you’d ask for in a contender. I would have predicted a Garrigus v Nagayama final but they are instead on the same side of the draw. Aghayev is another contender whilst Sardalashvili also has obvious claims given his form in the last few years. I would have preferred Ha-rim to be the Korean selection whilst if Verstraeten can make another semi-final, he may find himself an Olympic medalist.
🥇Robert Garrigus 🇪🇸
🥈Giorgi Sardalashvili 🇬🇪
🥉Ryuju Nagayama 🇯🇵
🥉Luca Mkheidze 🇫🇷
Men’s Half Lightweight (-66kg)
Three of the medalists from Tokyo return whilst Japan have had a medalist every year since 2000. It will be reigning Olympic champion Hifumi Abe (Japan) who returns. He is a four-time world champion and has won a grand slam event in each of the last three years. Vazha Margvelashvili (Georgia) won silver in Tokyo. He is a double World Championship bronze medalist and has finished third in World Masters three times. He won two Grand Slam events in 2023 and was the 2024 European Champion. Denis Vieru (Moldova) took that crown in 2023. He was also a four-time Grand Slam winner in 2022. He won his second World Championship bronze in 2022 as well and was runner-up at the 2023 World Masters. An Ba-ul (South Korea) won at the 2021 World Masters. He is also the other Olympic medalist from Tokyo, where he won bronze. He is another double World Championship bronze medal winner. Walide Khyar (France) won bronze at the 2023 World Championship after making the semi-final in 2022. Matteo Piras (Italy) made the 2024 semi-finals along with Nurali Emomali (Tajikistan) who won the Grand Slam event in both 2023 and 2024 in Tashkent. In that 2024 final, he beat Baruch Shmailov (Israel). He is a World Masters specialist, winning in 2022. He was runner-up in 2018 and 2021 and also finished third in 2017. Bayanmonkhiin Narmandakhn (UAE) was a semi-finalist in 2023. He has also made a Grand Slam semi in each of the last two years and at the 2023 Asian Games. Battogtokhyn Erkhembayar (Mongolia) won at the 2024 Asian Championships. He also made the final four at four grand slam events in 2023. Sardor Nurillaev (Uzbekistan) won bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships. He also has a second-place finish at a grand slam event in each of the last two years. Bogdan Iadov (Ukraine) was the 2022 European Champion before losing in the 2023 semi-final, but he did win a Grand Slam event in Paris. David Garcia Torne (Spain) was runner-up at the 2023 European Championship. He won a 2023 Grand Slam event in Astana and was a semi-finalist in Paris in 2024. Kubanychbek Aibek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) won in Tbilisi in 2023. Yashar Najafov (Azerbaijan) won in 2022 and 2023 and has been in quite a few semi-finals. As has William Lima (Brazil) who made two this season.
Ultimately this feels like Abe to lose. He has not lost since 2019 and is arguably now entering his prime. Of the other Tokyo medalists, I prefer Margvelashvili who still looks capable of making the podium. Vieru feels like someone who is always there at the business end of tournaments. Emomali is young and will be better in 2028 but can definitely string together the results to get a medal. Shamilov has shown himself capable of getting big victories but may be past his best. Iadov is another who is capable of good wins and poor losses. Other contenders for this include Erkhembayar and Nurilaev. Again, I would have had Vieru winning silver but the draw sees him come up against Abe in the semi finals, meaning one of them can make the final.
🥇Hifumi Abe 🇯🇵
🥈Vazha Margvelashvili 🇬🇪
🥉Denis Vieru 🇲🇩
🥉Sardor Nurillaev 🇺🇿
Mens Lightweight (-73kg)
Lasha Shavdatuashvili (Georgia) has a medal of each colour, although his gold came at the weight below in 2012. He was the 2022 World Champion and has won four grand slam events since 2022, including two in Paris. Japan has won the last two gold medals and this year it is Soichi Hashimoto (Japan) representing them. He has been on each podium spot at the World Championship, most recently winning bronze in 2023. He is also a three-time World Master but the last Grand Slam he won was Tokyo in 2022. The current world champion is Hidayat Heydarov (Azerbaijan) improving from winning bronze in 2017, 2019 and 2022. He has won six Grand Slam events since 2022 and is a triple reigning European Champion. Akil Gjakova (Kosovo) was the 2021 European champion. Tohar Butbul(Israel) was runner-up in that tournament. He was runner-up at the 2019 World Masters and was a semi-finalist at the 2022 World Championship. As was Manuel Lombardo (Italy), but he improved to silver in 2023. He has won four Grand Slam events since 2022. Nils Stump (Switzerland) was the 2023 world champion before winning bronze in 2024. The other bronze medalist was Igor Wandtke (Germany). He also won bronze at the 2021 World Masters. Daniel Cargnin (Brazil) was a 2022 World Championship bronze medalist before winning the 2022 World Masters. He beat Shakhram Akhadov (Uzbekistan) in the final. Akhadov won a Slam event in Abu Dhabi in 2023 and has lost in three semi-finals this year. Behruzi Khojazoda (Tajikistan) was the runner-up at the 2023 World Masters. Arthur Margelidon (Canada) has as well, but that was back in 2017. He is a relatively consistent fixture in major competitions. Salvador Cases (Spain) was the runner-up at the 2023 European Championships. Adil Osmanov(Moldova) took the win in Antalya earlier in the year. Batzayagiin Erdenebayar (Mongolia) won in Tbilisi in 2023. Daniyar Shamshayev (Kazakhstan) reached the semi-final stages in three events in 2023 whilst Joan-Benjamin Gaba (France) and Mark Hristov (Bulgaria) have both been European Championship semi-finalists in recent years.
Shavdatuashvili is the only returning Olympic medalist but I fear he may be enough past his best that he cannot medal here. He is still able to perform at a high level though so it wouldn’t be a shock if he medals. Lombardo has won so many events, including major championships in 2023 and 2024 that he has to be mentioned. Heydarov has also shown very strong recent form on what is a strong resume. Hashimoto is another who is consistently in the medal positions in major events so you have to expect him to be there when the podium gets decided. Akhadov has strong recent form but quite often tops out as a semi-finalist. Stump has impressed especially in World Championships and will expect to be in the big fights, whilst Cargnin is another with a strong resume. I thought we would see a Heydarov vs Lombardo final but they are set to clash in the semi finals.
🥇Manuel Lombardo 🇮🇹
🥈 Soichi Hashimoto 🇯🇵
🥉Hidayet Heydarov 🇦🇿
🥉Daniel Cargnin 🇧🇷
Men’s Half Middleweight (-81kg)
Takanori Nagese (Japan) is the reigning Olympic champion having won bronze in 2016. He has won bronze at the last two World Championships and won the 2024 Grand Slam event in Antalya. The other returning Olympic medalist is Matthias Casse (Belgium) after he won bronze. He was the 2021 world champion, winning silver in 2022 and 2023 to add to his 2019 silver. He won the 2023 World Masters and has won five Grand Slam events since 2022. Tato Grigalashvili (Georgia) is the reigning triple world champion and European champion. He has won the World Masters twice and won the 2023 Grand Slam event in Paris. In the 2024 World Championship final he beat Timur Arbuzov (Russia) who reached the Slam semi-final in Paris in 2024, as well as winning in Tbilisi. Sagi Muki (Israel) is a former world champion, winning in 2019, before reaching the semi-final in 2023. Lee Joon-hwan (South Korea) won bronze in 2023 and then repeated in 2024. He won two slam events in 2022 and 2023 and was the Asian Champion in 2024. Nugzar Tatalashvili (UAE) was runner-up and has also made two Slam semi-finals in the last two years. Somon Makhmadbekov (Tajikistan) came third in the 2024 Asian Championship and won the 2023 Asian Games. He also won the 2023 Slam event in Astana and was the bronze medalist in the 2024 World Championship. Frank de Wit (Netherlands) was a 2021 bronze medalist. He has also been on the World Masters podium three times and was also the silver medalist at the 2024 European Championship. Vedat Albayrak (Turkey) has a similar resume. He won bronze at the 2018 World Championship and has twice been on the World Masters podium. He has finished second in three Slams since 2022 and is a double European Champion, winning in 2021 and 2023. Guilherme Schmidt (Brazil) won at the 2023 Pan-American Games. He won two grand slams in 2022 and was a runner-up in the 2023 World Masters. Zelim Tckaev (Azerbaijan) has won the Grand Slam event in Baku over the last two years and was runner-up in Paris in 2024. Francois Gauthier-Drapeau (Canada) won that event. He has been in the final four of four other Slams since the start of 2023. Timo Cavelius (Germany) has made four slam semi-finals since the start of 2023 including being the runner-up in Paris last year. Sharofiddin Boltaboev(Uzbekistan) won the Grand Slam event in Astana this year and was runner-up in Tbilisi. Alpha Oumar Djalo(France) won in Zagreb in 2022 and lost in the World Masters semi-final. Wachid Borchashvili (Austria) won in Tbilisi in 2023 with Atilla Ungvari (Hungary) winning in Tashkent.
This feels like an event that should end up in a big showdown. Casse and Grigalashvili have been the dominant performers over the last few years and the best draw would leave those two on opposite sides of the draw for the final. Grigalashvili has a stronger head-to-head record and although it feels unlikely he will win four straight major championships, I have to pick him. Behind them, I think Nagese can complete: his Olympic set with a bronze medal. Albaryak has to be a contender but I am not sure he can get to the podiums. I think the other podium place comes down to Gauthier-Drapeau, Joon-hwan and Makhmadbekov. The draw probably costs the Canadian and it comes down to the other two.
🥇Tato Grigalashvili 🇬🇪
🥈Matthias Casse 🇧🇪
🥉Takanori Nagese 🇯🇵
🥉Somon Makhmadbekov 🇹🇯
Men’s Middleweight (-90kg)
Georgia has medalled at four of the last five Olympics. Lasha Bekauri (Georgia) is the reigning Olympic champion. He is a double World Masters champion and has medalled at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. The two bronze medalists from Tokyo also return. Davlat Bobonov (Uzbekistan) was also the 2022 world champion, improving from silver in 2021. Krisztian Toth (Hungary) won bronze in Tokyo and at the 2023 World Championship. He was also runner-up at the 2024 European Championship after reaching the semi-finals in 2021 and 2023. Nemanja Majdov (Serbia) won the 2023 European Championship and completed his World Championship medal set by winning silver in 2024. The winner will not compete as Japan has picked Sanshiro Murao (Japan). He won four slam events since 2022 and is the Asian Champion. He won bronze at the 2023 World Championship and won the 2022 World Masters. Noel van’t End (Netherlands) was the 2021 winner as well as the 2019 World Champion. He won two Grand Slam events in 2023, including the one in Paris. Mihael Zgank (Turkey) won in 2024 in Paris. He is also a World Championship silver medalist from 2017. Ivan Felipe Silva Morales (Cuba) won silver in 2018. He has made the quarter-finals at the last three World Championships and won the 2023 Pan-American Games. Rafael Macedo (Brazil) was the runner-up and lost in the 2022 World Masters semi-final. Erlan Sherov (Kyrgyzstan) won the 2023 Asian Games and was a bronze medalist in the 2024 World Championship. Tristani Mosakhlishvili (Spain) also won bronze in 2024 and won a 2023 Grand Slam event in Astana. Caramnob Sagaipov (Lebanon) reached the semi-final in 2024 as well as at the 2023 Asian Games but could not get on the podium. Marcus Nyman (Sweden) won bronze in 2021 and 2023 as well as a Grand Prix event in Baku in 2022 but at 33 is probably past his best.Murad Fatiyev (Azerbaijan) won the 2024 Baku event and in 2023 was a runner-up in Paris. Theodoros Tselidis (Greece) won in Tashkent this year. Ivaylo Ivanov (Bulgaria) won in Almada last year and has reached five semi-finals since the start of 2023.
The winning percentages will tell you this should come down to Bekauri and Murao. Both are turning 24 this year but I do edge to Bekauri given Murao has so consistently made the podium without taking gold. Morales is a definite danger but has potentially found a bit of a hump that he struggles to get past at the quarter-final stage. Van’t End and Zgank have some major tournament pedigree and have also won tournaments in Paris. Bobonov has not returned to his strongest form but clearly has the capability of winning tournaments. Maldov and Sherov are other major contenders for this.
🥇Lasha Bekauri 🇬🇪
🥈Sanshiro Murao 🇯🇵
🥉Erlan Sherov 🇰🇬
🥉Mihael Zgank 🇹🇷
Men’s Half Heavyweight (-100kg)
Aaron Wolf (Tokyo) won the Olympics in Tokyo. He was the 2017 world champion and has won two Grand Slam events this year, including in Paris. Jorge Fonesca (Portugal) won bronze in Tokyo. He is also a double world champion, the last title coming in 2021. He has won three slam events in the last three years and reached the semi-final of the 2024 World Championship. The current world champion is Zelym Kotsoiev (Azerbaijan) improving on bronze medals from 2022 and 2023. He reached four slam semi-finals in 2023 and was the European champion. Ilia Sulamanidze (Georgia) is the reigning double European runner-up. He won bronze in the 2021 World Championship. Since then he has taken the 2022 World Masters and has won four slam events since the start of 2022. Muzaffarbek Turoboyev (Uzbekistan) won the 2023 World Masters adding to his 2022 World Championships. He won a Grand Slam event in Tashkent this year as well as the 2024 Asian Championships. Dzhafar Kostoev (UAE) was runner up, after finishing second in two Grand Slam events in 2023, including Paris. Michael Korrel(Netherlands) won that event. He is a double World Championship bronze medalist and won the 2019 World Masters. Peter Paltchik (Israel) has been on the podium of the last three masters as well as reaching the semi-final of two of the last three Paris grand slam events. He also won bronze at the 2023 World Championship. Aleksandar Kukolj (Serbia) was a silver medalist in 2021. Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (Spain) won bronze in 2024. He is a double world champion who also won the World Masters in the division below. He won the Grand Slam event in Tbilisi this year and was runner-up in Paris. Shady El Nahas (Canada) won silver in 2024, having twice lost in the semi-finals without winning a medal. Batkhuyagiin Gonchigsuren (Mongolia) won a 2023 grand slam event in Ulaanbaatar and has medalled in continental tournaments. Toma Nikiforov (Belgium) won the 2021 European Championship. Piotr Kuczera (Poland) won bronze in 2022 and has twice made the slam semi-finals this year. Aaron Fara (Austria) won a slam event in Antalya last year, whilst Daniel Eich (Switzerland) was second this year in Astana.
This is one of the stronger divisions and is full of potential medalists. There are at least ten contenders which means that the draw is key and this is must must-watch from the quarter-final stage. Despite that, Wolf deserves to be the favourite. He has lost only one of his last 20 bouts and has proven he can deliver on the biggest stage. The draw will be massive here as Wolf is a dangerous floater. Turoboyev is in a very similar position having only lost two of his last twenty and a final between them will be a must-see. I think that will be the final and he can cause the upset. Behind them, I think Kotsoiev and Sherazadishvili are my picks but Sulamanidze and El Nahas especially are big dangers.
🥇Muzaffarbek Turoboyev 🇺🇿
🥈Aaron Wolf 🇯🇵
🥉Zelym Kotsoiev 🇦🇿
🥉Nikoloz Sherazadishvili 🇪🇸
Men’s Heavyweight (+100kg)
Teddy Riner (France) will attempt to add a third Olympic title to his resume at home. He could only win bronze in Tokyo and is a nine-time world champion. He has won three Grand Slam events since 2023 including both in Paris. The current Olympic champion is Lukas Krpalek (Czech Republic), having won in the division below in 2016. He was the World Championship runner-up last year in that division. Guram Tushishvili (Georgia) won Olympic silver in Tokyo. He was the 2018 World Champion and completed his set with a silver in 2024. He is also the double reigning European silver medalist. Martti Puumalainen (Finland) beat him in the 2023 final and then went on to win the World Masters. Tatsuro Saito (Japan) won in 2022 and was also the World Championship runner-up. Andy Granda(Cuba) took the World Championship and also won the 2023 Pan-American Games. Magomedomar Magomedomarov (UAE) won at the 2023 Asian Games and came third at the 2024 Asian Championship. Temur Rakhimov (Tajikistan) was the other bronze medalist. He made the semi-finals of the 2022 and 2023 World Championship and was second at the World Masters in both those years. Kim Min-jong (South Korea) was runner-up at that Asian Championship. He took the world title in 2024, improving from bronze in 2019 and 2022. Alisher Yusupov (Uzbekistan) won bronze in 2023 and 2024. He has made six grand slam semi-finals since 2022 including twice in Paris. Rafael Silva (Brazil) also has two World Championship bronzes in 2017 and 2023 whilst Ushangi Kokauri (Azerbaijan) has a silver from 2018. Valeriy Endovitskiy (Russia) won a Grand Slam event in Baku earlier in the year and lost in the 2023 European Championship semi-final. As did Jelle Snippe (Netherlands), who also won in Antalya in 2023. Odkhuugiin Tsetsentsengel (Mongolia) won in Tel Aviv in 2023 and did make the semi-finals in Paris in 2022.
Three of the Tokyo medalists return and they all look like possible threats to return. Riner seems back to something like his best, having not lost since 2021. At home, with the pressure on can he put the cherry on top for his incredible career? Saito is only 22, at the other end of the age spectrum but has an impressive resume. Min-Jong is 23 and arguably even more impressive. Yusupov has also had some great results in recent years whilst Rakhimov is another who could end up on the podium.
🥇Teddy Riner 🇫🇷
🥈Kim Min-jong 🇰🇷
🥉Alisher Yusupov 🇺🇿
🥉Lukas Krpalek 🇨🇿
Women’s Extra Lightweight (-48kg)
Japan has medalled in all but one edition of this event. They have the favourite in Natsumi Tsunoda (Japan) who is a triple world champion. She won the 2022 Grand Slam event in Paris and has won three others since 2022. The current World champion is Bavuudorjiin Baasankhuu (Mongolia) and she also won the 2024 Asian Championship. She beat Lee Hye-kyeong (South Korea) in that final who also won in Tbilisi in 2024. The current European champion is Kristina Dudina (Russia). Shirine Boukli (France) was a double European Champion. She also won the 2022 World Masters and finished second in the 2023 World Championship. She won in Paris earlier this year. Catarina Costa (Portugal) lost to Boukli in both European finals before making the semis in 2024. Assunta Scutto(Italy) has been on the World Champion podium in the last three seasons and also won three Grand Slam events in 2023. She also was in the semi-finals at the last two World Masters. Maria Celia Laborde (United States) was the runner-up at the 2023 World Masters. Another World Championship medalist is Katharina Menz (Germany) who won silver in 2022. Abiba Abuzhakynova (Kazakhstan) won bronze in 2022 and 2024, losing in the 2023 semi-final. He has also been to five grand slam semi-finals since the start of 2023. Milica Nikolic (Serbia) won in Tbilisi in 2023 and was runner-up in Paris. Laura Martinez (Spain) made the semi-final in Paris this year and has silver medals from slams in the two years prior. Tugce Bender (Turkey) has made two slam semi-finals this year. Guo Zongying (China) and Shira Rishony (Israel) have both made semi-finals in their continental championships over recent years.
Tsunoda is another dominant force, having only lost once since 2022. I expect her to be in the final with Boukli but she has beaten her both times they have competed so I favour her here. Scutto is improving at only 22 and I think she has a great chance here. Abuzhakynova and Baasankhuu have had strong 2024s’ and will hope to be competitive here. Costa and Hye-kyeong are also possible contenders. I think Boukli may be the second best judoka in the draw but she is seeded to face Tsunoda in the quarter finals. I think she can come through the repechage to win bronze.
🥇Natsumi Tsunoda 🇯🇵
🥈Bavuudorjiin Baasankhuu 🇲🇳
🥉Abiba Abuzhakynova 🇰🇿
🥉 Sherine Boukli 🇫🇷
Women’s Half Lightweight (-52kg)
All the Olympic medalists from Tokyo return. Italy has won medals at the last three Olympics whilst Japan has medalled all but one year. They have the returning Olympic champion in Uta Abe (Japan). He is also a four-time world champion and has won four slam events since the start of 2022. The Italian is Odette Giuffrida (Italy) who won bronze in Tokyo and silver back in 2016. She is the reigning world champion, improving on third from 2023. She won two slam events in 2023 and is the reigning European Championship runner-up. Distria Krasniqi (Kosovo) won that competition, improving on silver in 2023. She was the Tokyo Olympic champion in the division below. Since moving up she has won four slam events, including two consecutive wins in Paris and won the 2022 World Masters before losing in the 2023 final. Amadine Bouchard (France) won that final, adding to her 2021 crown. She is also a double European champion and has won a slam event in each of the last three years. She was the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and is a four-time World Championship bronze medalist, including the last three events. Mascha Ballhaus (Germany) was the other bronze medalist in 2024 and won a 2023 slam event in Tashkent. The final Olympic medalist from Tokyo was Chelsea Giles (Great Britain) who won bronze. She has made four slam semi-finals since the start of 2023. Arguably her strongest year was 2022 as she was runner-up at the 2022 World Championship and World Masters as well as winning the European Championship. Larissa Pimenta (Brazil) is the 2023 Pan-American Games champion and was runner-up in Astana earlier this year. Gefen Primo (Israel) won that event as well as taking the Ulaanbaatar event in 2023. She was a World Championship bronze medalist in 2021. Diyora Keldiyorova (Uzbekistan) lost in the semis that year. She improved to win silver in 2023 and 2024. 2022 was her strongest year on the circuit as she reached five slam finals, whilst she won the 2023 Asian Games. Bishreltiin Khorloodoi (UAE), formerly represented Mongolia and won the silver before taking the 2024 Asian Championships. Jung Ye-Rim (South Korea) and Lkhagvasurengin Sosorbaram (Mongolia) were the semi-finalists at the 2023 Asian Games. Reka Pupp (Hungary) is a double European Championship semi-finalist. She also made the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championship and at five slam events in 2023, advancing only to the Paris final. Ariane Toro (Spain) made three slam semi-finals in 2024 and won in Tbilisi.
This is a very strong division. Five medalists from Tokyo compete and all will expect to be back on the podium. That is before you get to Keldiyorova, Primo and Pupp. Despite that strength in depth, Abe has to be the favourite. She has not lost internationally for years. She is unseeded for this draw and everyone will be hoping to avoid Abe. At home, Bouchard is a certain danger who also has an impressive record. Keldiyorova and Krasniqi also have that same mixture of an impressive competition resume and a strong form. I think Giles and Giuffrida could challenge but cannot predict them over any of the aforementioned. The draw will be massive as everyone hopes to avoid Abe but could also bring some big early clashes.
🥇Uta Abe 🇯🇵
🥈Amadine Bouchard 🇫🇷
🥉Distria Krasniqi 🇽🇰
🥉Diyora Keldiyorova 🇺🇿
Women’s Lightweight (-57kg)
The reigning Olympic champion is Nora Gjakova (Kosovo). She was the 2021 World Championship bronze medalist and has been to the final of four slam events in the last two years. Rafaela Silva (Brazil) was the 2016 Olympic champion and won a world title in 2022. She beat Haruka Funakubo (Japan) in the final, who also won silver in 2023. She was a triple Slam winner in 2022, including winning in Paris. Christa Deguchi (Canada) won the 2022 World Championship adding to her 2019 crown before winning silver in 2024. She has arguably gone through the toughest battle to be in Paris ahead of her compatriot. She has won five slam events since the start of 2023 and lost in four other finals. Huh Mi-mi (South Korea) beat her in the final of the 2024 World Championship. She won two slam events in 2022 when making the semi-finals of the World Championship and the World Masters. She was also runner-up at the 2024 Asian Championship. Lkhagvatogoogiin Enkhriilen (Mongolia) won the 2024 Asian Championship adding to bronze medals in the 2022 and 2023 World Championship. Sarah-Leonie Cysique(France) was the other medalist in Tokyo, winning silver. He has also won silver in three consecutive World Masters. He won silver in the 2022 European Championship and was in the semi-finals either side of that. Marica Perisic(Serbia) won silver in 2023 and won the Grand Slam event in Tbilisi. It was Kaja Kaszer (Slovenia) who was runner-up in 2021 and 2024. Eteri Liparteliani (Georgia) was a semi-finalist in 2022 and 2024. She has also reached the final of three grand slam events since the start of 2023. Timna Nelson-Levy (Israel) won the 2022 European Championship and reached the semi-final of that World Championship. Lien Chen-ling (Taiwan) won at the 2023 Asian Games. Maysa Pardayewa (Turkmenistan) lost in the semi-final, as well as at the 2024 Grand Slam event in Antalya. Cai Qi (China) was the bronze medal winner at the 2024 Asian Championship. Pauline Starke (Germany) has been to the semi-final of a Grand Slam each of the last three years.
Whichever Canadian lined up here would probably have been my favourite for gold, however, I wonder if an incredibly intense schedule whilst competing for the spot could cost Deguchi. Based on that, I will edge this to Mi-mi who beat her in the World Championship final this year and has only lost once in 2024. Funakubo feels like she should make the medal positions. Elsewhere it comes down down to Cysique, Gjakova and Silva.The draw hinders Cysique so I will edge to Gjakova.
🥇Huh Mi-mi 🇰🇷
🥈Christa Deguchi 🇨🇦
🥉Haruka Funakubo 🇯🇵
🥉Nora Gjakova 🇽🇰
Women‘s Half-Middleweight (-63kg)
France has medalled at five of the last six Olympic editions, whilst Slovenia has four in five. France is represented by Clarisse Agbegnenou (France) who won gold in Tokyo and silver in 2016. She is a six-time world champion before winning bronze this year. Andreja Leski (Slovenia) is a double World Championship silver medalist who lost in the semi-finals this year. She was also the 2023 European Champion. Renata Zachova (Czech Republic) was the 2024 European champion. Another Olympic medalist competing in Paris is Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (Canada) who won bronze. She was also a silver medalist at the 2022 World Championship before losing in the semi-final this year. She has contested four slam finals since the start of 2023, winning three. Angelika Szymanska (Poland) was the silver medalist at the 2024 World Championship. She has made the semi-final stage five times in the slam events since 2022. Joanne van Lieshout (Netherlands) won the 2024 World Championship. He has made four slam semi-finals since the start of 2023. He was runner-up at the 2024 European Championship and was third at the 2023 World Masters. Laura Fazliu (Kosovo) won the World Masters, improving from silver in 2022. She made three slam semi-finals in 2023 and was a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Championship. Miku Takaichi (Japan) was runner-up at the 2023 World Masters. He also won at the 2023 Asian Games and won the home Grand Slam events in Tokyo in 2022 and 2023. Maylin del Toro Carvajal (Cuba) was the winner of the 2023 Pan-American Games and made two slam semi-finals, including in Paris. Gili Sharir (Israel) won in Paris in 2023 and is a European Championship runner-up in 2023. Katarina Kristo (Croatia) was runner-up in the 2024 Slam event in Paris before taking victory in Astana. Other World Championship medalists include Barbara Timo (Portugal) who won bronze in 2022 having won silver in 2019 in the division above. Szofi Ozbas (Hungary) won bronze in 2023. She made two slam finals in 2023. Ketleyn Quadros (Brazil) won a slam event in 2023 in Antalya, whilst in 2024, Lubjana Piovesana (Austria) won in Baku. She also made the 2023 World Championship semi-final. Anriquelis Barrios(Venezuela) reached that stage in 2021. Lucy Renshall (Great Britain) won two slam events in 2022 and one in 2023. Kim Ji-Su has won one in both of the last two years and won bronze at the 2024 Asian Championship. Esmigul Kuyulova (Kazakhstan) and Tang Jing (China) both won medals at the continental championships. Katharina Haecker (Australia) made the semi-finals of four slam events in 2023.
This feels on the weaker side. Agbegnenou deserves to be a clear favourite. She has dominated the major championships for years and in front of her home crowd should take gold. I think this will come down to either Takaichi or Van Lieshout as to who meets her in the final. I will edge to Takaichi. Behind them, I think Beauchemin-Pinard, Renshall and Szymanska are other potential medalists but by virtue of this not being a very strong weight, I think this is very open and am expecting a surprise name. I will go for Kristo to take it.
🥇Clarisse Agbegnenou 🇫🇷
🥈Miku Takaichi 🇯🇵
🥉Joanne van Lieshout 🇳🇱
🥉Katarina Kristo 🇭🇷
Women’s Middleweight (-70kg)
Japan and the Netherlands have both medalled at four of the last five editions. Sanne van Dijke (Netherlands) won bronze in Tokyo. She won the World Masters in 2023 and has twice won bronze at the World Championship. Saki Nizoe (Japan) is the Japanese representative. She came to prominence when winning the 2018 World Masters. She was a bronze medalist at the 2022 World Championship and won in 2023 before taking the 2024 Asian Championship. Mun Song-hui (North Korea) was runner-up there and at the 2023 Asian Games. Barbara Matic(Croatia) won the 2024 European Championship. She is a double world champion before winning bronze in 2023. She has reached four grand slam finals since the start of 2023, winning two this year. Elisavet Teltsidou (Greece) was runner-up at the European Championship. She was a World Championship bronze medalist in 2024. She won three slam events in 2023 and was a runner-up at the 2023 World Masters. Marie-Eve Gahle (France) was a runner-up in 2022. She is also a double World Championship runner-up, most recently in 2024 but did win gold in 2019. She has been runner-up in Paris in the last two years and is a double European Champion. Miriam Butkereit (Germany) beat her in Paris this year, one of two slam titles she has won. In 2023, it was Ai Tsunoda (Spain). She made the semi-finals of four other events since 2023. Maria Perez (Puerto Rico) won World Championship silver in 2017. Michaela Polleres (Austria) won bronze in 2021 and 2023. She was also an Olympic medalist in Tokyo winning silver. She has won a slam event in the last two years and won the 2022 World Masters. Kim Polling (Italy) won in 2019 before taking bronze in 2021, having formerly represented the Netherlands. Tais Pina (Portugal) has made two slam finals this year, winning in Astana. Aoife Coughlan (Australia) made three slam semi-finals in 2023 and won the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Gabriella Willems (Belgium) was a slam runner-up twice in 2022 and made the 2024 World Championship semi-final.
Matic has been supreme in 2024 whereas Nizoe and Van Dijke have been generally more consistent. Gahle is another solid performer and at home rates as a real danger. Elsewhere I think the main dangers are Butkereit and Polleres. Matic, Nizoe and van Dijke are all in the same side of the draw. I think Butkereit and Polleres can come from the other side of the draw, with Gahle not able to get a medal.
🥇Saki Nizoe 🇯🇵
🥈Miriam Butkereit 🇩🇪
🥉Michaela Polleres 🇦🇹
🥉Barbara Matic 🇭🇷
Women’s Half-Heavyweight (-78kg)
France has medalled at the last four Olympics and Madeleine Malonga (France) returns after winning silver in Tokyo. She is the 2019 world champion, winning silver in 2021 and bronze in 2023. She won the 2021 World Masters and has twice finished runner-up. Two other Tokyo medalists return. Mayra Aguiar (Brazil) has won bronze at three straight Olympics and is also a three-time World champion. Anna-Maria Wagner (Germany) won bronze in Tokyo. She is a double world champion, winning in 2021 and 2024. She has also won five slam events since 2022, including in Paris this year. Alice Bellandi (Italy) lost to Wagner in Paris and in the 2024 World Championship final. She won bronze at the 2023 World Championship after winning the 2022 World Masters. She has been in seven slam finals since the start of 2022 and was runner-up at the 2023 European Championship. Beata Pacut (Poland) was the 2021 European Champion before winning bronze at the 2022 World Championship. Yelyzaveta Lytvnenko (Ukraine) won the other bronze and was a semi-finalist at the 2023 World Masters. Inbar Lanir (Israel) won that tournament as well as the 2023 World Championship. She reached five slam finals in 2022 and 2023 and has reached the semi-final at the last two European Championships. Rika Takayama (Japan) is the current Asian champion and has won a slam event in each of the last three years. She beat Yoon Hyun-ji (South Korea) in that final and the Korean will be looking to improve on her semi-final from Tokyo. Ma Zhenzhao (China) was the winner of the 2023 Asian Games and was runner-up in the 2022 World Championship. Emma Reid (Great Britain) was a bronze medalist in the 2024 World Championship after winning the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Loriana Kuka (Kosovo) won bronze in 2019 and also at the 2021 World Masters. Guusje Steenhuis (Netherlands) is a three-time World Championship medalist, most recently winning bronze in 2023. She has also won bronze at three World Masters, and European Championship silver twice and made the last four at four slam events since the start of 2023, including both events in Paris. Patricia Sampaio (Portugal) reached five slam semi-finals in 2023.
Wagner looks like the favourite to improve on her podium place from Tokyo. She has been dominant over the last few years. Takayama has been unbeaten this year but hasn’t proven herself in global competition yet. Aguiar and Malonga are also looking to repeat as Olympic medalists and I prefer Malonga at home. Aguiar hasn’t competed yet this year. Bellandi has also looked very strong over the recent year. Other conteeers are probably Lanir, Steenhuis and Zhenzhao with Sampaio having a strong 2023.
🥇Anne-Marie Wagner 🇩🇪
🥈Alice Bellandi 🇮🇹
🥉Rika Takayama 🇯🇵
🥉Madeleine Malonga 🇫🇷
Women’s Heavyweight (+78kg)
China, Cuba and Japan have been on every podium except once since 2000. Idalys Ortiz (Cuba) has won medals at four straight Olympics, winning gold in 2016. She has also won seven World Championship medals. Xu Shiyan(China) made the 2023 semi-finals of the World Championship and World Masters. Akira Sone (Japan) is the reigning Olympic champion. She won the 2019 and 2023 World Championships as well as the 2018 World Masters. Romaine Dicko (France) was a medalist in Tokyo, winning bronze. She was the 2022 World Champion and is the triple reigning World Masters champion. She won the 2022 and 2023 European titles and has taken four slam titles this year, including in Paris. Kim Ha-yun (South Korea) won the Paris event in 2023. She was a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Championship, improving from the 2023 semi-final. She also won the 2023 Asian Games. Raz Hershko (Israel) is the 2024 European championship after winning silver the two years prior. She has made six slam semi-finals since the start of 2023 and was a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championship. Beatriz Souza(Brazil) took the other bronze, as she did in 2021. She also won silver in 2022 and the 2023 World Cup event in Baku. Kayra Ozdemir (Turkey) won silver at the 2024 World Championship improving on bronzes from 2018 and 2019. She won the 2021 European Championship and has reached three slam finals since the start of 2023, including in Paris. Larisa Ceric (Bosnia) was a bronze medalist in the 2018 World Championship and also at the 2017 and 2018 World Masters. Asya Tavano (Italy) was a semi-finalist at the 2024 World Championship, making the same stage as the 2022 and 2023 European Championship. Marit Kamps (Netherlands) made the semi-final in 2023. Amarsaikhany Adiyasuren (Mongolia) was a semi-finalist at the 2023 Asian Games before finishing runner-up at the 2024 Asian Championship. Rochele Nunes (Portugal) made the semi-final of the 2021 European Championship. Last season she reached two slam finals, winning in Abu Dhabi. Renee Lucht (Germany) won earlier this year, in Tbilisi whilst Milica Zabic (Serbia) had a victory in Baku in 2022. Elis Startseva (Russia) has made three slam semi-finals this year.
Dicko enters this competition as a deserved favourite. She has a glittering resume, having only lost one of her last 25 and will be backed by a strong home support. Her main competitor would be expected to be Sone but she has not had a great start to this year. Neither has Ortiz and I think it may be asking for too much to expect a fifth Olympic medal. Souza has been consistently solid along with Hershko. Ha-yun had a strong 2023 whilst Tavano has started this year strongly.
🥇Romane Dicko 🇫🇷
🥈Beatriz Souza 🇧🇷
🥉Akira Sone 🇯🇵
🥉Raz Hershko 🇮🇱
Mixed Team
France won the first edition of this event when competed in Tokyo. They have been runners-up at the last six World Championships. All of those have been won by Japan who could only win silver in Tokyo. Germany won a bronze medal in Tokyo. They won bronze at the 2022 World Championship and lost in the 2023 semi-final. Israel was the other medalist in Tokyo and also won bronze in 2022. The Netherlands took a bronze medal in the 2023 World Championship after losing the Olympic semi-final in Tokyo. Georgia won bronze at the last two World Championships and were runners-up at the 2024 European Championship. Italy won the bronze medal in the 2024 World Championship. Uzbekistan did make the semi-final in 2024, but could not repeat their bronze in 2021. Brazil was the other bronze medalist in 2021, repeating their result in 2019. They also won silver in 2017. South Korea won bronze in 2017 and repeated in 2018. They have made three of the last four quarter-finals. The other competitors are Austria, Canada, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Refugee Team, Serbia, Spain and Turkey.
This looks all set up for another France vs Japan final. Japan have strength in all of the weight classes whereas France will be relying on their stronger performers getting the win in tighter matchups. At home, I will edge to France repeating their victory. Behind them, there are lots of possible contenders. Georgia has a really strong roster, especially on the male side of things. Italy also has a number of good judokas who will potentially be able to bring points home. Uzbekistan and South Korea would be the other likely contenders.
🥇France 🇫🇷
🥈Japan 🇯🇵
🥉Georgia 🇬🇪
🥉Italy 🇮🇹
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