Middleweight (≤66 kilograms), Women

The two favorites were Brigitte Deydier of France and Alexandra Schreiber of West Germany. Schreiber was the 1987 world champion, defeating Deydier in the final. At the 1986 World Championships, Deydier had won, defending the title she had won in 1982 and 1984, with Schreiber winning bronze. Both of the 1987 bronze medalists were also present in Seoul, Roswitha Hartl (AUT) and Hikari Sasaki (JPN). Deydier and Schreiber were drawn in the same pool with Deydier winning the pool final in a closely fought match by yuko. In the other pool final, Sasaki defeated Hartl by ippon to advance to the final match against Deydier, where she won the match in a tragic ending. Halfway through the match, Deydier dislocated her kneecap, and although she tried to continue, she could not and had to withdraw, giving Sasaki the title by kiken-gachi.