Alice Bellandi from Italy triumphed in the women’s -78kg judo final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, securing the gold medal with an emphatic 11-0 victory over Israel’s Inbar Lanir, who took home silver. The match was cut short when Lanir received her third minor penalty, leading to an early end.
Bellandi, an accomplished judoka who recently earned silver in the -78kg category at the 2024 World Championships, showcased her skill and experience. She also competed in the -70kg category at Tokyo 2020. Lanir, who previously won bronze in the judo mixed team event at Tokyo 2020, claimed gold at the -78kg category in both the 2023 World Championships and the 2023 World Masters.
In the bronze medal matches, Ma Zhenzhao from China defeated Germany’s Anna-Maria Wagner in golden score by a final tally of 1-0. Zhenzhao had competed in the -78kg category at Tokyo 2020 but was eliminated in her opening match. Portugal’s Patricia Sampaio also secured bronze, defeating Japan’s Takayama Rika by ippon with a score of 10-0. Sampaio had previously competed in the same weight class at Tokyo 2020.
