Italian Assunta Scutto is world ranking leader

The countdown for the Olympic Games is truly on. The Olympic Games is speeding towards us at lightning pace and soon the seedings the judoka have been working for will have an impact on their Olympic dreams. Every point matters and every win feeds the performance of the big day.

Ahead of the Portugal Grand Prix, the first World Judo Tour meet of 2024, we have been taking a look at the current world number ones and today it’s the turn of the women. 2024 seemed a long way off when we were sat in the Nippon Budokan back in the summer of 2021 but it took no time at all to get here.

In 2019 Assunta Scutto amassed an outstanding list of prizes on the cadet stage including becoming European U18 champion and a world medallist. In 2021 she took similar crowns at the junior level with familiar but reversed results at the two milestone events, alongside a gold at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam that November.

The 21 year old Italian has accelerated through the ranks staggeringly fast and in 2023 she claimed 3 grand slam golds and medals at both the Masters and the Doha World Championships. She’s now 800 points clear at the top of the table ahead of Tsunoda, a decade her senior but the champion in Doha, her 3rd senior world title, and in Tokyo just a few weeks ago. Tsunoda has never competed at the Games but she wants that gold to complete her collection and at 31 this might be her last chance.

The Parisien contingent has already been decided, with Shirine Boukli pipping Blandine Pont to selection despite being only one place below her on the WRL, they’re at 4 and 3 respectively.