| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Arena Carioca 2, Parque Olímpico da Barra, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro |
| Participants | 18 from 18 countries |
US judoka Kayla Harrison became the first American, and one of only 11 athletes in the sport, to successfully defend an Olympic judo title by winning her second gold in Rio. The enigmatic Harrison had suffered years of sexual abuse by one of her previous coaches. Later she founded Fearless, an organization helping other victims of sexual abuse, and after her second gold medal, the media speculated that she would exploit her popularity to become a Mixed Martial Arts professional, which she did in October 2016.
Although she was the lightest competitor in the field, it took Harrison, the world and Pan American Games champion, a total of only 8:04 min of fighting to win her four bouts, all prematurely by an Ippon (full point) with hold down and lock techniques. In the final she held second-seeded Audrey Tcheumeo of France just seconds before the four minutes elapsed in an Ude-hishigi-juji-gatame (cross lock) forcing her to tap out. In the semi-final, London 2012 bronze medalist Tcheumeo eliminated home favorite Mayra da Silva, who was also a 2012 bronze medalist. Da Silva, Harrison’s toughest rival over the years, won her second bronze medal while Slovenia’s Ana Velenšek,who fell victim to Harrison in the semi-final, won her first Olympic bronze. The reigning World Champion, Mami Umeki from Japan already dropped out after the first bout.
| Date | 11 August 2016 — 10:00 |
|---|---|
| Format | Winners advance to round two. |
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 11 Aug | Kayla Harrison | USA | bye | ||||
| Match #2 | 11 Aug | Zhang Zhehui | CHN | bye | ||||
| Match #3 | 11 Aug | Mami Umeki | JPN | bye | ||||
| Match #4 | 11 Aug 10:00 | Mat 1 | Abigél Joó | HUN | Ippon | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd | MGL | |
| Match #5 | 11 Aug | Marhinde Verkerk | NED | bye | ||||
| Match #6 | 11 Aug | Yalennis Castillo | CUB | bye | ||||
| Match #7 | 11 Aug | Ana Velenšek | SLO | bye | ||||
| Match #8 | 11 Aug | Viktoriya Turks | UKR | bye | ||||
| Match #9 | 11 Aug | Audrey Tcheuméo | FRA | bye | ||||
| Match #10 | 11 Aug | Sol Kyong | PRK | bye | ||||
| Match #11 | 11 Aug | Natalie Powell | GBR | bye | ||||
| Match #12 | 11 Aug | Sarah Mazouz | GAB | bye | ||||
| Match #13 | 11 Aug | Mayra Aguiar | BRA | bye | ||||
| Match #14 | 11 Aug | Miranda Giambelli | AUS | bye | ||||
| Match #15 | 11 Aug | Luise Malzahn | GER | bye | ||||
| Match #16 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Daria Pogorzelec | POL | Penalty | Vanessa Mballa | CMR |
| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Winners advance to quarter-finals. |
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Kayla Harrison | USA | Ippon | Zhang Zhehui | CHN | |
| Match #2 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Abigél Joó | HUN | Yuko | Mami Umeki | JPN | |
| Match #3 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Yalennis Castillo | CUB | Penalty | Marhinde Verkerk | NED | |
| Match #4 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Ana Velenšek | SLO | Yuko | Viktoriya Turks | UKR | |
| Match #5 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Audrey Tcheuméo | FRA | Ippon | Sol Kyong | PRK | |
| Match #6 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Natalie Powell | GBR | Ippon | Sarah Mazouz | GAB | |
| Match #7 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Mayra Aguiar | BRA | Ippon | Miranda Giambelli | AUS | |
| Match #8 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Luise Malzahn | GER | Penalty | Daria Pogorzelec | POL |
| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Winners advance to semi-finals. Losers advance to repêchage for bronze medal tournament. |
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Kayla Harrison | USA | Ippon | Abigél Joó | HUN | |
| Match #2 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Ana Velenšek | SLO | Ippon | Yalennis Castillo | CUB | |
| Match #3 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Audrey Tcheuméo | FRA | Penalty | Natalie Powell | GBR | |
| Match #4 | 11 Aug | Mat 2 | Mayra Aguiar | BRA | Penalty | Luise Malzahn | GER |
| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Winners advance to bronze medal matches. |
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Yalennis Castillo | CUB | Yuko | Abigél Joó | HUN | |
| Match #2 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Luise Malzahn | GER | Ippon | Natalie Powell | GBR |
| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|---|
| Format | Winners advance to gold medal final. Losers advance to bronze medal matches. |
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #1 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Kayla Harrison | USA | Ippon | Ana Velenšek | SLO | |
| Match #2 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Audrey Tcheuméo | FRA | Penalty | Mayra Aguiar | BRA |
| Date | 11 August 2016 |
|---|
| Match | Date/Time | Location | Competitor | NOC | Result | Competitor | NOC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match #3/5 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Mayra Aguiar | BRA | Yuko | Yalennis Castillo | CUB | |
| Match #3/5 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Ana Velenšek | SLO | Ippon | Luise Malzahn | GER | |
| Match #1/2 | 11 Aug | Mat 1 | Kayla Harrison | USA | Ippon | Audrey Tcheuméo | FRA |