Hifumi Abe

Hifumi Abe
Hifumi Abe
Born	Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Occupation	Judoka
Known for	Men's half-lightweight (66 kg) judo competitor, two-time Olympic gold medalist (2020, 2024), four-time World Judo Champion (2017, 2018, 2022, 2023)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Hifumi Abe, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 1 December 20253 sources

is a Japanese judoka who competes in the Men's half-lightweight division (66 kg). He earned back-to-back gold medals in the Men's 66 kg category at both the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, in addition to winning silver medals as part of Japan's mixed team in these same competitions. Abe has claimed the world champion title four times, securing gold at the World Judo Championships in 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023.

Abe first gained prominence after capturing Youth Olympic gold in August 2014, followed by a silver medal at the 2014 World Judo Juniors Championships held in Fort Lauderdale. At just 17 years old, he earned his initial senior IJF World Tour victory at the 2014 Tokyo Grand Slam, notably overcoming then-world champion Masashi Ebinuma in the semifinals.

Early life

Beginning judo practice in 2003 at age six, Abe started training in his hometown of Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He entered competitive judo during elementary school. His father, Koji, works as a firefighter with the Kobe City Fire Department. Early formative experiences included frequent sparring losses to Nami Nabekura during elementary school, which contributed to his growth. His name's kanji characters translate to "one, two, three."

Abe secured his first national victory while attending Kobe Ikuta junior high school in the under 55 kg division and continued to develop his junior career at Shinko Gakuen Shinko High School. During his high school years, he won multiple national Inter-High School championships before graduating in 2016. As of December 2020, he trains at Nittaidai under coach Atsushi Nobukawa, who has mentored him since his early years.

His younger sister, Uta Abe, is a leading judoka competing in the Women's 52 kg category. She is an Olympic gold medalist (2020) and has claimed five world championship titles. Uta holds the distinction of being the youngest athlete to win an International Judo Federation (IJF) senior competition, achieving her first senior gold medal at age 16 during the 2017 Judo Grand Prix Düsseldorf.

Cadet and high school competitions

Abe achieved success in several cadet-level tournaments, including victories at the 2012 Asian U17 Championships and European Cup Cadets.

His debut major international competition was the 2013 World Cadet Championships in Miami, where he reached the final but earned silver after losing to Georgia’s Koba Mchedishvili. This event coincided with Abe’s sixteenth birthday.

At the 2015 Inter-High School Championships, Abe secured a win against Hayato Koga, son of renowned Japanese judoka Toshihiko Koga.

2014 All-Japan Junior Championships

Taking place in Saitama, Abe claimed the junior national championship by defeating Takamasa Sueki in the final match.

2014 Youth Olympic Games

Advancing to junior-level competition, Abe participated in the 66 kg division at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing. Employing ippon judo techniques consistently throughout the event, he earned gold by overcoming Ukraine’s Bogdav Iadov with a waza-ari scored through sode tsurikomi goshi and an ippon delivered via seoi nage—both hallmark moves of his style.

2014 World Junior Championships

Abe entered the 2014 World Juniors Championships held in Fort Lauderdale as a leading contender and among the select few youth Olympic titleholders participating. He overcame every opponent by ippon within two and a half minutes, with the exception of future World Champion An Ba-ul in the second round, where the match was decided by a single shido penalty.

In the championship match against Russia's Egor Mgdsyan, Abe initially took the lead with a waza-ari and yuko. However, Mgdsyan quickly countered with two waza-aris in 45 seconds, achieving ippon and securing the gold, leaving Abe with the silver medal.

Emergence and advancement at senior level: 2014 Kodokan Cup and Grand Slam

Abe attracted national recognition at the Kodokan Cup, his debut senior competition, where he became the youngest champion at age 16 and the first high school winner since Satoshi Ishii in 2004. His unexpected triumph featured an ippon victory over Masaaki Fukuoka in under two minutes, executed with an uki otoshi, followed by a final win against Yuki Nishiyama.

He made his senior international debut at the esteemed 2014 Tokyo Grand Slam, guided by national team heavyweight legend Keiji Suzuki. Abe controlled his initial bouts, securing victories through waza-ari and ippon scores.

Confronting elite opponents, including five-time World medalist and 2009 champion Georgii Zantaraia in the quarter-finals, Abe earned a waza-ari but Zantaraia managed to escape his hold. In the semi-final, Abe caused an upset by defeating triple reigning World Champion Masashi Ebinuma, scoring a waza-ari with an ushiro goshi during the final minute.

In the final against Israel's Golan Pollack, Abe scored a yuko using an Ōuchi gari. Pollack fell outside the contest area striking his head; although Abe attempted to pin him, the referee disallowed this second move due to it occurring out of bounds. With no additional points scored, Abe secured the championship title.

2015 Grand Prix Düsseldorf

Abe commenced 2015 at the Düsseldorf Grand Prix, narrowly edging his opening match by yuko. In round two, he defeated Dutch judoka Junior Degen by ippon utilizing his signature ouchi gari technique. His campaign ended in round three after losing to 2014 Asian Games winner Davaadorjiin Tömörkhüleg by waza-ari.

2015 Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar

During the Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix, Abe secured victory in his first bout against Georgia's Vazha Margvelashvili by scoring two waza-aris through kosoto gari and sode tsurikomi goshi techniques. He then proceeded to defeat Mongolia's Batgerel Battsetseg by ippon and yuko. In the final match, despite scoring first with a waza-ari, Abe was overcome by Tomorkhuleg’s kosoto gari resulting in an ippon loss.

2015 All-Japan Championships

Participating in his inaugural senior national championships held in Fukuoka, Abe—still attending high school—claimed bronze. He advanced past Yuuki Hashiguchi due to shido penalties but was swiftly defeated by Kengo Takaichi, who pinned him using ushiro-kesa-gatame for ippon.

2015 Kodokan Cup

Entering the Kodokan Cup as the reigning champion, Abe fell short of expectations, failing to register points until the bronze medal contest, where he achieved awasete ippon through osoto gari and kosoto gari techniques. His attempt to retain the title concluded in the third round after a yuko defeat by eventual finalist Joshiro Maruyama via tomoe nage. Following this loss, Abe voiced concerns about his prospects for qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Ongoing achievements and inaugural national championship: Grand Prix Tashkent and 2016 All-Japan Championships

Abe demonstrated his mastery of all-ippon judo during his senior debut at the 2015 Tashkent Grand Prix. He secured victories in early rounds by employing his signature ashi waza, ouchi gari, alongside a commanding double sleeve grip osoto gari. In the quarter-finals against France’s Alexandre Mariac, Abe first earned yuko with sode-tsurikomi-goshi, followed by waza-ari through tai otoshi, and ultimately clinched ippon with kesa-gatame.

In the semi-final match against Mongolia’s Dovdony Altansükh, Abe rapidly accumulated yuko and waza-ari scores before sealing the win with a second drop seoi nage for ippon. He then defeated China’s Ma Duanbin in just 36 seconds using another osoto gari to claim the tournament championship.

Competing in his initial 2016 event as a university athlete, Abe advanced to the semi-final of the All-Japan Championships, where he faced rival Ebinuma in a critical Olympic qualification bout. Employing sode-tsurikomi-goshi and osoto gari techniques, he earned waza-ari points and executed pinning maneuvers. Although an ippon was annulled, Abe’s determination secured him a waza-ari that propelled him into the final.

In the championship match against Maruyama, both judokas were level on shidos leading into golden score overtime. After nearly two minutes, Maruyama was penalized with a second shido, awarding Abe his first national title.

Setback due to injury and missed 2016 Olympic qualification

Abe intended to participate in the 2016 Asian Championships but was forced to withdraw because of a knee ligament injury necessitating a minimum three-week recovery period. Prior to the Olympics, he was positioned 25th in the IJF World Rankings, while only the top 22 qualified for participation. As Japan’s fourth-ranked contender and with head coach Inoue selecting Ebinuma for the half-lightweight division, Abe officially did not earn an Olympic spot. Subsequently, he was appointed as an ambassador for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Resuming competition on the IJF circuit and maintaining unbeaten Grand Slam streak: 2016 Tyumen and Tokyo

Entering the 2016 Tyumen Grand Slam as the highest seed and gold medal favorite under coaches Yusuke Kanamaru and Keiji Suzuki, Abe capitalized on an event missing many top athletes due to its proximity to the Olympics. He defeated Azerbaijan’s Iskandar Talishinski in the quarter-final by scoring waza-ari followed by awasete ippon. He then bested teammate Sho Tateyama in the semi-final and local contender Anzaur Ardanov in the final to capture his first Grand Slam title since 2014.

At the 2016 Tokyo Grand Slam, competing without senior rival Ebinuma present, Abe faced formidable opponents including An Ba-ul and Fabio Basile. He opened with a victory over Kim Lim-hwan by scoring waza-ari and executing an ippon seoi nage before finishing with sode-tsurikomi-goshi for ippon. In later rounds, he overcame Russia’s Mikhail Pulyaev and fellow Japanese competitor Norihito Isoda, despite incurring shido penalties. In the final against Yuuki Hashiguchi, Abe secured triumph with a yuko from seoi nage attempts followed by a decisive tai otoshi yielding ippon. This victory marked his second Grand Slam win on home soil in Tokyo, reinforcing his position as a leading figure in men’s half-lightweight judo ahead of the World Championships.

Tokyo Olympics

In 2021, Abe secured the gold medal in the Men's 66 kg judo event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, coinciding with his younger sister Uta's triumph in her own judo category on the same day.

Return to IJF World Tour and The 2022 Tashkent World Championships

Abe made his comeback to the IJF World Tour on 8 July 2022 by capturing the title at the Budapest Grand Slam. During the World Judo Championships held in Tashkent on 7 October, he achieved five victories, including a semi-final win over world number one Denis Vieru and a final against his rival Joshiro Maruyama, where he clinched the win with a waza-ari counterattack.

The 2025 Budapest World Championships

Entering the 2025 Budapest World Championships as the defending Olympic champion following his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics,^[1] Abe was among the favorites in the Men's -66 kg division.^[2] Despite a quarterfinal loss to Obid Dzhebov from Tajikistan, he rebounded to secure a bronze medal by overcoming Cuba’s Orlando Polanco.^[3]

Fighting style

Abe represents a contemporary Japanese judo approach, akin to that of lightweight World Champion Naohisa Takato. As a right-handed judoka, he specializes in seoi nage and sode-tsurikomi-goshi techniques. His style is characterized by an assertive and energetic tempo, with matches typically concluding within approximately two and a half minutes. He favors a double sleeve grip and effectively integrates ashi waza such as osoto gari and ouchi gari both to set up throws and as standalone techniques for ippon finishes.

Renowned Japanese coach and legend Kōsei Inoue has commended Abe for demonstrating skills "far beyond his age," emphasizing his potential on both national and global stages. Abe acknowledges Tadahiro Nomura as his preferred competitor and primary source of inspiration in judo.

Competitive record

As of 11 February 2017^[update]

Judo Record
Total	28
Wins	25 (89.3%)
by Ippon	18 (64.3%)
Losses	3 (10.7%)
by Ippon	2 (7.14%)

(Does not include Youth Olympic Games or domestic competitions)

Medals

2014: All-Japan Junior Championships; Youth Olympic Games; World Junior Championships; Kodokan Cup; Grand Slam, Tokyo
2015: Grand Prix Ulaanbaatar; All-Japan Championships; Kodokan Cup; Grand Prix, Tashkent
2016: All-Japan Championships; Grand Slam, Tyumen; Grand Slam, Tokyo
2017: Grand Slam, Paris; 2017 World Judo Championships, Budapest; Grand Prix, Tokyo
2018: Grand Prix, Yekaterinburg; Grand Prix, Zagreb; 2018 World Judo Championships, Baku; Grand Slam, Osaka
2019: 2019 World Judo Championships, Tokyo; Grand Slam, Osaka
2020: Grand Slam, Düsseldorf
2021: Grand Slam, Antalya; Olympic Games −66 kg, Tokyo
2022: Grand Slam, Budapest; 2022 World Judo Championships, Tashkent
2023: 2023 World Judo Championships, Doha; Grand Slam, Tokyo
2024: Olympic Games −66 kg, Paris