Hifumi Abe retains Olympic title in final against Willian Lima

Hifumi Abe retained his Olympic judo title in spectacular fashion, solidifying his place at the pinnacle of the sport. The final against Brazil's Willian Lima, who had been a surprise finalist, was a display of Abe's strategic brilliance and technical prowess. Abe began cautiously, assessing Lima without taking unnecessary risks. However, it didn’t take long for him to assert his dominance. He scored a waza-ari with a swift sequence and soon followed it up with a decisive sode-tsuri-komi-goshi, sealing his victory. Abe's controlled celebration reflected his respect for Lima and his satisfaction with a job well done.

Abe's triumph was particularly poignant given his sister Uta's shocking early exit from the competition. Reflecting on his victory, he said, "When my sister lost, I was shocked and I felt bitter all day. But I had to fight. I'm so glad I could get a gold medal for the sake of my sister."

In the first bronze medal contest, Kazakhstan's Gusman Kyrgyzbayev faced Serbia's Strahinja Buncic. The match saw both judokas penalized early on Kyrgyzbayev for grabbing under the belt and Buncic for a false attack. Kyrgyzbayev then scored a waza-ari, maintaining his lead to secure Kazakhstan's second bronze medal in the tournament.

The second bronze medal contest was a tense battle between France's Walid Khyar and Moldova's Denis Vieru. Khyar, aiming for a second medal for the French men's delegation, faced Vieru, who narrowly missed a chance to upset Abe in the semi-finals. The match was intense, with both judokas receiving penalties—two for Vieru and one for Khyar. Ultimately, Vieru scored a waza-ari, clinching the first-ever Olympic judo medal for Moldova.

The semi-finals were equally dramatic. The first semi-final between Gusman Kyrgyzbayev and Willian Lima was a nail-biter. Lima initially pushed Kyrgyzbayev into committing two errors, but the tide turned as Lima also received two penalties. The match extended into golden score, where Lima executed a brilliant tai-otoshi, earning an ippon and a spot in the final.

In the second semi-final, Vieru faced Abe. Vieru's determined effort saw him taking the initiative after weathering Abe's initial onslaught. However, during the golden score period, Abe's o-soto-gari ended Vieru's hopes, sending Abe to the final.

In the repechage rounds, Nurali Emomali of Tajikistan had to forfeit his match against Buncic due to an injury, allowing Buncic to advance to the bronze medal contest. The second repechage match featured a showdown between Khyar and Mongolia's Baskhuu Yondonperenlei. The intense bout was a grueling kumi-kata battle that went into golden score. Khyar capitalized on a lapse in Yondonperenlei's concentration, executing a seoi-otoshi to score a waza-ari and move on to the bronze medal match.