Heavyweight (>72 kilograms), Women
| Date | 27 July 1992 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona | |
| Participants | 21 from 21 countries | |
| Format | Two single-elimination pools, with winner of each pool advanced to the final. All judoka losing to the finalists in each pool advanced to repêchage pools, with the winners of the repêchage pools earning bronze medals. | |
At the last two World Championships, China’s Gao Fenglian had won gold in 1989, and Zhang Yin won silver in 1991, but neither was selected as the Chinese representative in this class, as they chose instead Zhuang Xiaoyan. Zhuang had been World Champion in 1991 in the open class, and the competition in Barcelona was expected to be between her and Cuba’s Estela Rodríguez. Rodríguez was World Champion in the open division in 1989, and lost in the final to Zhuang at the 1991 Worlds. The heavyweight class went according to form, as both Zhuang and Rodríguez made it to the final to contest the gold and silver medals. Zhuang won easily, using her favorite move, kami-shiho-gatame, to win by ippon in 2:42. Rodríguez would again win a silver medal in this class at the 1996 Olympics.
Pool A (27 July 1992)
Round One (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Svetlana Gundarenko |  EUN | Ippon/Harai-makikomi (2:35) | Heba Hefny |  EGY |
| Match #2 | Nathalie Lupino |  FRA | Ippon/Hiki-komi-gaeshi (2:15) | Nilmarí Santini |  PUR |
| Match #3 | Beáta Maksymow |  POL | Yuko/O-uchi-gari (4:00) | Anne Åkerblom |  FIN |
Quarter-Finals (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Svetlana Gundarenko | EUN | Waza-ari/Harai-makikomi (4:00) | Monique van der Lee |  NED |
| Match #2 | Nathalie Lupino | FRA | Ippon/O-goshi (1:06) | Jane Patterson |  CAN |
| Match #3 | Estela Rodríguez |  CUB | Yusei-gachi (4:00) | Beáta Maksymow | POL |
| Match #4 | Supatra Yompakdee |  THA | Ippon/Uchi-mata-gaeshi (3:35) | Sangita Mehta |  IND |
Semi-Finals (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Nathalie Lupino | FRA | Ippon/O-uchi-gari (0:55) | Svetlana Gundarenko | EUN |
| Match #2 | Estela Rodríguez | CUB | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (1:17) | Supatra Yompakdee | THA |
Final Round (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Estela Rodríguez | CUB | Yuko/Tani-otoshi (4:00) | Nathalie Lupino | FRA |
Repêchage (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Nilmarí Santini | PUR | Yusei-gachi (4:00) | Jane Patterson | CAN |
| Match #2 | Svetlana Gundarenko | EUN | Waza-ari-wasete Ippon/Kesa-gatame (1:45) | Nilmarí Santini | PUR |
| Match #3 | Beáta Maksymow | POL | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (1:54) | Supatra Yompakdee | THA |
| Match #4 | Beáta Maksymow | POL | Koka/Okuri-ashi-barai (4:00) | Svetlana Gundarenko | EUN |
| Match 3/4 | Yoko Sakaue |  JPN | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (2:40) | Beáta Maksymow | POL |
Pool B (27 July 1992)
Round One (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Zhuang Xiaoyan |  CHN | Koka/Ko-uchi-gari (4:00) | Sharon Lee |  GBR |
| Match #2 | Yoko Sakaue | JPN | Yusei-gachi (4:00) | Edilene Andrade |  BRA |
Quarter-Finals (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Zhuang Xiaoyan | CHN | Waza-ari-wasete Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (3:38) | Inmaculada Vicent |  ESP |
| Match #2 | Éva Gránitz |  HUN | Yusei-gachi (4:00) | Maria Teresa Motta |  ITA |
| Match #3 | Yoko Sakaue | JPN | Ippon/Harai-goshi (1:37) | Colleen Rosensteel |  USA |
| Match #4 | Claudia Weber |  GER | Chui/Penalty (4:00) | Mun Ji-Yun |  KOR |
Semi-Finals (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Zhuang Xiaoyan | CHN | Waza-ari-wasete Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (2:00) | Éva Gránitz | HUN |
| Match #2 | Yoko Sakaue | JPN | Ippon/Harai-goshi (2:57) | Claudia Weber | GER |
Final Round (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Zhuang Xiaoyan | CHN | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (3:40) | Yoko Sakaue | JPN |
Repêchage (27 July 1992)
| Match #1 | Sharon Lee | GBR | Waza-ari/Seukui-nage (4:00) | Inmaculada Vicent | ESP |
| Match #2 | Edilene Andrade | BRA | Ippon/O-uchi-gari (1:35) | Colleen Rosensteel | USA |
| Match #3 | Éva Gránitz | HUN | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (3:36) | Sharon Lee | GBR |
| Match #4 | Claudia Weber | GER | Kiken-gachi (3:11) | Edilene Andrade | BRA |
| Match #5 | Claudia Weber | GER | Ippon/Harai-goshi (0:08) | Éva Gránitz | HUN |
| Match 3/4 | Nathalie Lupino | FRA | Ippon/Koshi-garami (1:10) | Claudia Weber | GER |
Final Round (27 July 1992)
| Match 1/2 | Zhuang Xiaoyan | CHN | Ippon/Kami-shiho-gatame (2:42) | Estela Rodríguez | CUB |