As the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris draw near, anticipation for the judo competition is reaching a fever pitch. Set against the backdrop of the iconic European city, this year’s judo events promise to be a showcase of unparalleled skill, determination, and sportsmanship. Athletes from around the globe are gearing up to demonstrate their mastery of this ancient martial art, blending traditional techniques with modern training methods. 

Reigning Gold Medalists 

Men’s 60 kg: Naohisa Takato, Japan

Men’s 66 kg: Hifumi Abe, Japan

Men’s 73 kg: Shohei Ono, Japan

Men’s 81 kg: Takanori Nagase, Japan

Men’s 90 kg: Lasha Bekauri, Georgia

Men’s 100 kg: Aaron Wolf, Japan

Men’s +100 kg: Lukas Krpalek, Czech Republic

Women’s 48 kg: Distria Krasniqi, Kosovo

Women’s 52 kg: Uta Abe, Japan

Women’s 57 kg: Nora Gjakova, Kosovo

Women’s 63 kg: Clarisse Agbegnenou, France

Women’s 70 kg: Chizuru Arai, Japan

Women’s 78 kg: Shori Hamada, Japan. 

Women’s +78 kg: Akira Sone, Japan. 

Mixed team: France

Athletes to watch 

Teddy Riner, FRA: The World’s Most Famous Active Judoka is calling it quits on his career and is looking to go out with a bang in front of his home crowd. Riner enters this year’s contest looking to win his record-tying 3rd Olympic gold medal in singles competition. He had a shocking quarterfinal loss in Tokyo 3 years ago, but the 11-time world champion was still able to capture gold in the mixed-team competition. 

Uta Abe and Hifumi Abe, JPN: This sibling duo made history 3 years ago in Tokyo, capturing gold medals on the exactsame day in their respective weight classes (Men 66kg, Women 52kg). This year, having both qualified, the duo looks to repeat as champions and make history yet again.

Clarisse Agbegnenou, FRA: Clarisse is entering the Paris Olympics as the defending champion for the Women’s 63kg division. The 6-time world champ captured her first Gold in Tokyo and now is looking to repeat after less than two years since giving birth to her daughter.

Lukas Krpalek, CZE: Riner could potentially be beaten into the history books by the Czech Judoka. After Riner failed to capture gold in Tokyo, Krpalek went on to capture his second gold medal and his first in the heavyweight division. Krpalek hasn’t met Riner in the competition since 2019. If the stars align, we might be able to get this match again. 

Storylines to watch. 

Repeated Clashes: The two titans of the sport meet again in Paris. Japan and France, both of whom have judokas qualified in all 14 weight classes. In Tokyo, Japan took nine gold medals, but France has loaded up their 2024 squad with a bunch of gold medal-capable talent for the home countries’ games. All of this leading to a potential mixed team match with the reigning champion France defending their medal and Japan looking to get another win over France following their world championship win last year.

Riner’s pursuit of history: Riner’s pursuit of greatness is going to be one of the biggest stories of the ’24 games. But with Riner and Japanese Phenom Shohei Ono heading to retirement, these games are a great opportunity for new and up-and-coming Judokas to establish themselves as the best in the world. A division to look out for is the mens half-heavyweight division which looks particularly stacked this year. 

The mixed team event enters year two: One of the highlights of the 2020 Olympic judo matches was the debut of the mixed team match. After a hard-fought competition throughout the entire week, France took gold. This year, with home-field advantage behind them, France is looking to repeat and bring their second gold medal home in as many years. However, Japan has a scary good roster and is looking to get yet another leg over on France after their world championship win last year. 

The games begin July 27th and close August 3rd with the mixed team final.