Middleweight (≤66 kilograms), Women

The heavy favorite was Italy’s Emanuela Pierantozzi, who had won the 1989 and 1991 World Championships. At both tournaments she had defeated Cuba’s Odalis Revé – in the final in 1991 and the pool final in 1989. In Barcelona the two again made it to the final. Pierantozzi had been impressive, using uchi-mata to win her pool final by ippon in only seven seconds over Germany’s Alexandra Schreiber. But in the Olympic final, Revé finally overcame her nemesis and won the gold medal, using uchi-mata to win by waza-ari. Revé was Pan-American Games champion in 1991 and 1995, and in 1993 and 1995 would make the podium at the World Championships, with bronze in 1993 and silver in 1995. Pierantozzi’s career went into eclipse, although in 1997 she won a bronze medal at the World Championships.