|
| Event type

Half-Lightweight (≤52 kilograms), Women

Date25 July 2021
StatusOlympic
LocationNippon Budokan, Chiyoda, Tokyo
Participants29 from 29 countries

None of the lower seeded competitors were able to break into the domain of the six top seeded judokas. Second seed Uta Abe from Japan was considered favourite on home soil in the final against the top seeded Frenchwoman Amandine Buchard. Abe had been world champion in 2018 and 2019 and succeeded in four Grand Slam tournaments in the last four years. Buchard, however, had clinched the European title, won the World Masters in 2021, and had already defeated Abe on the World Judo Tour. In the final, after 8:27 min, and well into the extra-time, the Japanese pinned Buchard with a Kuzure-kesa-gatame for an Ippon (full point) as Golden Score. Abe had a tough path into the final and beat the two eventual bronze medallists, Odette Giuffrida, Italy’s silver medallist in 2016, and Britain’s Chelsie Giles, the only highly seeded participant with no World or European Championships medal to her credit. Against Giuffrida, Abe required more than seven minutes for a Golden Score. Buchard sailed through the first three rounds with convincing victories by Ippon including a 16 seconds flash victory over Switzerland’s Fabienne Kocher.

Although dominant in the bout, Kocher later missed the first Judo medal for Switzerland in succumbing Giles, who scored two Waza-aris (half points) to take bronze. Giuffrida toppled Hungarian Reka Pupp by Seoi-nage for an Ippon after 4:31. In the first round, Pupp eliminated Majlinda Kelmendi from Kosovo, sending her home after just one match. Only seeded 15th, the 2016 gold medallist was not considered a potential medallist in Tokyo although she had placed third at the 2021 World Masters in Doha.

Abe won her gold medal about half an hour before her brother Hifume won gold in the same weight category in the men’s events. Thus, they accomplished the same historical feat as in the 2018 World Championships, when they clinched the titles as the first brother and sister to do so.

PosCompetitorNOC
1Uta AbeJPNGold
2Amandine BuchardFRASilver
=3Odette GiuffridaITABronze
=3Chelsie GilesGBRBronze
=5Réka PuppHUN
=5Fabienne KocherSUI
=7Park Da-SolKOR
=7Charline Van SnickBEL
=9Larissa PimentaBRA
=9Tetiana Levytska-ShukvaniGEO
=9Gili CohenISR
=9Soumiya IraouiMAR
=9Lkhagvasürengiin SosorbaramMGL
=9Nataliya KuzyutinaROC
=9Andreea ChițuROU
=9Angelica DelgadoUSA
=17Ecaterina GuicaCAN
=17Ana PérezESP
=17Taciana CesarGBS
=17Sabiana AnestorHAI
=17Majlinda KelmendiKOS
=17Arbresha RexhepiMKD
=17Kristine JiménezPAN
=17Agata PerencPOL
=17Joana RamosPOR
=17Kachakorn WarasihaTHA
=17Gülbadam BabamyradowaTKM
=17Diyora KeldiyorovaUZB
=17Nguyễn Thị Thanh ThủyVIE

Round One

Date25 July 2021 — 11:00
FormatWinners advance to round two.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 Jul 11:00Amandine BuchardFRAbye
Match #225 Jul 11:07Mat 2Tetiana Levytska-ShukvaniGEOIpponSabiana AnestorHAI
Match #325 Jul 11:14Mat 2Nataliya KuzyutinaROCIpponKristine JiménezPAN
Match #425 Jul 11:21Mat 2Park Da-SolKORIpponTaciana CesarGBS
Match #525 Jul 11:28Mat 2Réka PuppHUNWaza-ariMajlinda KelmendiKOS
Match #625 Jul 11:35Mat 2Angelica DelgadoUSAIpponJoana RamosPOR
Match #725 Jul 11:42Mat 2Fabienne KocherSUIWaza-ariAna PérezESP
Match #825 Jul 11:49Mat 2Lkhagvasürengiin SosorbaramMGLIpponDiyora KeldiyorovaUZB
Match #925 Jul 11:56Uta AbeJPNbye
Match #1025 Jul 12:03Mat 2Larissa PimentaBRAWaza-ariAgata PerencPOL
Match #1125 Jul 12:10Mat 2Chelsie GilesGBRIpponArbresha RexhepiMKD
Match #1225 Jul 12:17Mat 2Soumiya IraouiMARIpponKachakorn WarasihaTHA
Match #1325 Jul 12:24Odette GiuffridaITAbye
Match #1425 JulMat 2Andreea ChițuROUIpponNguyễn Thị Thanh ThủyVIE
Match #1525 JulMat 2Charline Van SnickBELIpponEcaterina GuicaCAN
Match #1625 JulMat 2Gili CohenISRIpponGülbadam BabamyradowaTKM

Round Two

Date25 July 2021 — 12:41
FormatWinners advance to quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 Jul 12:41Mat 2Amandine BuchardFRAIpponTetiana Levytska-ShukvaniGEO
Match #225 Jul 12:48Mat 2Park Da-SolKORWaza-ariNataliya KuzyutinaROC
Match #325 Jul 12:55Mat 2Réka PuppHUNIpponAngelica DelgadoUSA
Match #425 Jul 13:02Mat 2Fabienne KocherSUIWaza-ariLkhagvasürengiin SosorbaramMGL
Match #525 Jul 13:09Mat 2Uta AbeJPNIpponLarissa PimentaBRA
Match #625 Jul 13:16Mat 2Chelsie GilesGBRIpponSoumiya IraouiMAR
Match #725 Jul 13:23Mat 2Odette GiuffridaITAIpponAndreea ChițuROU
Match #825 Jul 13:30Mat 2Charline Van SnickBELIpponGili CohenISR

Quarter-Finals

Date25 July 2021 — 13:37
FormatWinners advance to semi-finals. Losers advance to repêchage for bronze medal tournament.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 Jul 13:37Mat 2Amandine BuchardFRAIpponPark Da-SolKOR
Match #225 Jul 13:44Mat 2Fabienne KocherSUIIpponRéka PuppHUN
Match #325 Jul 13:51Mat 2Uta AbeJPNWaza-ariChelsie GilesGBR
Match #425 Jul 13:58Mat 2Odette GiuffridaITAWaza-ariCharline Van SnickBEL

Repêchage

Date25 July 2021 — 17:00
FormatWinners advance to bronze medal matches.
MatchDate/TimeCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 Jul 17:00Réka PuppHUNWaza-ariPark Da-SolKOR
Match #225 Jul 17:08Chelsie GilesGBRCharline Van SnickBEL

Semi-Finals

Date25 July 2021 — 17:17
FormatWinners advance to gold medal final. Losers advance to bronze medal matches.
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match #125 Jul 17:25Mat 1Amandine BuchardFRAIpponFabienne KocherSUI
Match #225 Jul 17:17Mat 1Uta AbeJPNWaza-ariOdette GiuffridaITA

Final Round

Date25 July 2021 — 18:18
MatchDate/TimeLocationCompetitorNOCResultCompetitorNOC
Match 3/525 Jul 18:18Mat 1Odette GiuffridaITAIpponRéka PuppHUN
Match 3/525 Jul 18:28Mat 1Chelsie GilesGBRIpponFabienne KocherSUI
Match 1/225 Jul 18:38Mat 1Uta AbeJPNIpponAmandine BuchardFRA