Judo: Japan's Hifumi Abe defends Olympic title in the men's -66 kg to continue remarkable winning streak

By Grace Goulding

2 min|

Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

All eyes were on defending Olympic champion and four-time judo world champion Hifumi Abe of Japan, as he took to the Olympic tatami for the second time - and won gold.

Abe, who hasn't lost a fight on the World Judo Tour in five years, was equally untouchable today as he continued his incredible winning streak in the men's -66 kg weight category on 28 July.

The 26-year-old threw Brazil's Willian Lima for two waza-aris in the final to claim the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gold.

Title: defended. Legend status: achieved.

"I had never seen that view, of the venue filled with people. And here I had my whole family watching," said the double Olympic champion shared about the atmosphere in the Champ de Mars Arena.

As for whether we will see Abe go for a third Olympic title, he kept it simple: "Yes."

Lima's silver continued Brazil's judo medal streak, with Brazilian judoka having taken medals consistently at every Olympics since 1984.

Third time is the charm for world No .1 Denis Vieru, who won his long-awaited Olympic medal on his third appearance. Bronze for the Republic of Moldova, the country's first medal in Judo, and the first at Pairs 2024.

Gusman Kyrgyzbayev joined him on the podium, winning bronze and continuing Kazakhstan's judo success at Paris 2024.

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