| | Event type
Half-Lightweight (≤52 kilograms), Women
| Date | 15 August 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Olympiako Gymnastirio Ano Liosion, Ano Liossia | |
| Participants | 24 from 24 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. | |
Cuba’s Amarilys Savón moved up from extra-lightweight in 2003 and won the World Championships. A bronze medalist at that meet was Japan’s Yuki Yokosawa. In Athina they met in the final of pool B, with Yokosawa winning by ippon at the final buzzer. In the final, Yokosawa faced China’s Xian Dongmei, who was little known on the international level, her biggest achievement having been a silver at the 2002 Asian Games. But Xian won the gold medal with a victory by ippon in only 1:06. She would return in 2008 to defend her title in Beijing.
Pool A (15 August 2004)
Round One (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Telma Monteiro |  POR | Ippon/Seoi-nage (0:18) | M'Mah Soumah |  GUI |
| Match #2 | Ioana Maria Aluaş |  ROU | Ippon/Ura-nage (0:34) | Rochelle Stormont |  NZL |
| Match #3 | Raffaella Imbriani |  GER | Koka/False-Attack (5:00) | Charlee Minkin |  USA |
| Match #4 | Salima Souakri |  ALG | Yuko/False-Attack (5:00) | Petra Nareks |  SLO |
Quarter-Finals (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Telma Monteiro | POR | Ippon/Kuchiki-taoshi (3:43) | Michal Feinblat |  ISR |
| Match #2 | Annabelle Euranie |  FRA | Waza-ari/O-uchi-gari (5:00) | Ioana Maria Aluaş | ROU |
| Match #3 | Raffaella Imbriani | GER | Ippon/Non-Combativity (4:16) | Maria Tselaridou |  GRE |
| Match #4 | Xian Dongmei |  CHN | Koka/Non-Combativity (4:00/1:34) Golden Score | Salima Souakri | ALG |
Semi-Finals (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Annabelle Euranie | FRA | Koka/Non-Combativity (4:00/1:20) Golden Score | Telma Monteiro | POR |
| Match #2 | Xian Dongmei | CHN | Waza-ari awasete Ippon/Yoko-shiho-gatame (4:14) | Raffaella Imbriani | GER |
Final Round (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Xian Dongmei | CHN | Ippon/Ura-nage (1:38) | Annabelle Euranie | FRA |
Repêchage (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Ioana Maria Aluaş | ROU | Ippon/Ura-nage (4:00/1:28) Golden Score | Telma Monteiro | POR |
| Match #2 | Salima Souakri | ALG | Waza-ari/Ippon/Seoi-nage (5:00) | Raffaella Imbriani | GER |
| Match #3 | Salima Souakri | ALG | Waza-ari/Ippon/Seoi-nage (5:00) | Ioana Maria Aluaş | ROU |
| Match 3/4 | Amarilis Savón |  CUB | Ippon/Tomoe-nage (2:33) | Salima Souakri | ALG |
Pool B (15 August 2004)
Round One (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Yuki Yokosawa |  JPN | Ippon/Tate-shiho-gatame (2:25) | Ri Sang-Sim |  PRK |
| Match #2 | Georgina Singleton |  GBR | Ippon/Kata-gatame (4:10) | Fabiane Hukuda |  BRA |
| Match #3 | Amarilis Savón | CUB | Ippon/Kusure-kami-shiho-gatame (1:28) | Sanna Askelöf |  SWE |
| Match #4 | Ilse Heylen |  BEL | Waza-ari awasete Ippon/De-ashi-barai (0:32) | Naina Cecilia Ravaoarisoa |  MAD |
Quarter-Finals (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Yuki Yokosawa | JPN | Waza-ari/Yoko-shiho-gatame (5:00) | Hortance Diédhiou |  SEN |
| Match #2 | Georgina Singleton | GBR | Yuko/Non-Combativity (5:00) | Flor Velázquez |  VEN |
| Match #3 | Amarilis Savón | CUB | Ippon/O-goshi (1:24) | Lee Eun-Hui |  KOR |
| Match #4 | Ilse Heylen | BEL | Ippon/Tai-otoshi (1:38) | Sholpan Kaliyeva |  KAZ |
Semi-Finals (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Yuki Yokosawa | JPN | Ippon/Kusure-kesa-gatame (4:16) | Georgina Singleton | GBR |
| Match #2 | Amarilis Savón | CUB | Waza-ari/O-uchi-gaeshi (5:00) | Ilse Heylen | BEL |
Final Round (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Yuki Yokosawa | JPN | Ippon/Sode-tsuri-komi-goshi (5:00) | Amarilis Savón | CUB |
Repêchage (15 August 2004)
| Match #1 | Ri Sang-Sim | PRK | Yuko (2)/Sumi-otoshi (5:00) | Hortance Diédhiou | SEN |
| Match #2 | Sanna Askelöf | SWE | Ippon/Ko-soto-gari (0:36) | Lee Eun-Hui | KOR |
| Match #3 | Georgina Singleton | GBR | Yuko/Uchi-mata-maki-komi (5:00) | Ri Sang-Sim | PRK |
| Match #4 | Ilse Heylen | BEL | Waza-ari awasete Ippon/Kesa-gatame (5:00) | Sanna Askelöf | SWE |
| Match #5 | Ilse Heylen | BEL | Yuko/Uchi-mata-gaeshi (5:00) | Georgina Singleton | GBR |
| Match 3/4 | Ilse Heylen | BEL | Koka/Tani-otoshi (4:00/1:22) Golden Score | Annabelle Euranie | FRA |
Final Round (15 August 2004)
| Match 1/2 | Xian Dongmei | CHN | Ippon/Yoko-shiho-gatame (1:06) | Yuki Yokosawa | JPN |