Uta Abe

Uta Abe
Born	Template:Birth year and age Kobe, Japan
Occupation	Judoka
Known for	Five-time world judo champion, 2020 Olympic gold medalist

is a Japanese judoka who competes in the Women's half-lightweight category (52 kg). She achieved the gold medal in the Women's 52 kg competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics and contributed to Japan's mixed team securing silver medals in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

Abe has claimed the world championship title five times, winning her weight division at the World Judo Championships in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025. She rose to international prominence by becoming the youngest athlete ever to win an IJF senior event at just 16 years old, when she triumphed at the 2017 Judo Grand Prix Düsseldorf.

Personal life

She is the younger sibling of Hifumi Abe, a judoka who has earned two Olympic gold medals and four world championship titles in the Men's 66 kg category.

Judo career

In February 2017, Abe made history as the youngest judoka to win an IJF Grand Prix by taking first place at the Düsseldorf Grand Prix.

At age 18, she secured her inaugural world championship title during the 2018 World Championships held in Baku, becoming the third-youngest athlete to capture a senior world title. Throughout the tournament, she defeated leading opponents such as Poland’s Karolina Pieńkowska, Switzerland’s Fabienne Kocher, Brazil’s Jéssica Pereira, and France’s Amandine Buchard. In the final match, she overcame teammate and former world champion Ai Shishime with a decisive uchi-mata technique during golden score.

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021, Abe earned Olympic gold in her division, coinciding with her brother Hifumi’s victory in his category.

She again secured a world championship gold medal at the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Abe experienced her first defeat since 2019 when she was eliminated in the second round by Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova.

External links

• Uta Abe at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics