Several Major Casualties in the Women's Judo Tournament on Day Six

In the women's 78kg category, several world champions and top athletes found themselves in the same pool, resulting in some shocking early exits. The French crowd was stunned by Portugal's Patricia Sampaio, who knocked out French favorite and former world champion Madeleine Malonga. Malonga, the silver medalist from the 2021 Games, was overpowered by Sampaio in her first match.

Sampaio will face the eager Italian Alice Bellandi in the semifinals. Bellandi, hungry for gold, sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime. She swiftly dealt with Brazilian legend Mayra Aguiar, a former world champion with three Olympic medals, ending Aguiar’s fairy tale run. Bellandi then sent Ukrainian talent Lytvynenko to the repechage.

Two-time world champion Anna-Maria Wagner had no trouble confirming her semifinal spot and form in Paris. She opened against (former compatriot) Branser and overcame the Japanese contender Rika Takayama. Wagner’s opponent in the semifinals is Israel’s 2023 world champion Inbar Lanir, who won in just 23 seconds against the experienced Guusje Steenhuis. Despite having defeated Steenhuis three times before, the Olympics play by different rules—the rules of hunger, form, and mental resilience.

Among the semifinalists, Wagner currently seems to have the best prospects, but at this level, statistics mean little.