Half-Lightweight (≤66 kilograms), Men

Hifumi Abe won gold in this class at Tokyo 2020, only 30 minutes after his sister, Uta Abe, won gold in the women’s 52 kg class, repeating their feat from the 2018 World Championships where they both won gold medals. Hifumi was world ranked #2 at Tokyo and was World Champion in this class in 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023. He had won an IJF Grand Slam title 12 times from 2014-2024 and was the clear favorite.

Abe defended his gold medal, winning the final over Willian Lima of Brazil by waza-ari at 2:36 of the match. Abe repeated the feat of his countryman, Masato Uchishiba, who won gold in this class in 2004 and 2008. His sister would also try to defend her gold medal but lost in the second round; however, they both helped Japan win a silver medal in the mixed team event at Paris.

Bronze was shared by Kazakhstan’s Gusman Kyrgyzbayev, and Denis Vieru of the Republic of Moldova. This was the first ever medal in judo for Moldova, while Kazakhstan won its sixth judo medal ever, and its second of the Paris Olympics, after the gold by Yeldos Smetov the day before in the men’s 60 kg class.