Sarah Menezes (BRA) -48kg
In London Menezes became her country’s third Olympic judo champion. The two-time Junior World Champion has won World, Grand Slam and World Judo Masters honours since 2012.
Kaori Matsumoto (JPN) -57kg
The Japanese ace, who is known as "The Beast" in Japanese media, took two years off after winning her first Olympic title and barely missed a step when she returned at the Dusseldorf Grand Prix 2014 to win gold.
Kayla Harrison (USA) -78kg
America’s first Olympic judo champion Harrison is one of the most consistent performers of all time in judo, having only missed the podium twice in this Olympic cycle which saw the Boston-based all-American hero win world bronze, Pan American Games gold and two World Judo Masters title among other triumphs on the IJF World Judo Tour.
Idalys Ortiz (CUB) +78kg
Ortiz became her country’s sixth Olympic judo champion in London and has gone on to win two world titles in the subsequent years followed by bronze last year in Astana. The charismatic Cuban, won the invite-only World Judo Masters in May, to secure top seed status for Rio 2016.
Lasha Shavdatuashvili (GEO) -73kg
London 2012 saw the then 20-year-old Shavdatuashvili crowned the -66kg Olympic champion. The Georgian became one of the youngest Olympic champions in history and his country’s third judo gold medallist. He moved up to the -73kg category in 2014 with little success but he eventually picked up enough qualification points in 2015 to pull ahead of teammate Nugzari Tatalashvili in 2016.
Tagir Khaibulaev (RUS) -100kg
Khaibulaev took a year off after London 2012 as part of a media tour and made a low-key return to competition in 2013 by taking a silver medal at the Bueno Aires Pan American Open. He won the Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix in 2014, finished fifth at the Worlds in the same year, and also won the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and Jeju Grand Prix in 2015.
Teddy Riner (FRA) +100kg
Olympic champion and eight-time world champion Teddy Riner had come through the entire Olympic cycle undefeated. In fact the French heavyweight has been unbeaten since 2010 and has won all 14 events he has entered since London 2012, winning over 150 contests consecutively, including three European titles and three world titles as well as the World Judo Masters in 2015.
This international judo icon has a wide repertoire techniques, is capable in standing and groundwork. He is also capable of strategic play and is very effective at it.
He had beaten all the top names in his category many times over. But anything can happen in judo and many looked forwad to a meeting between Riner and Japan's great new hope Hisayoshi Harasawa, whom Riner had never fought before. Harasawa had a three-year unbeaten streak which ended in May at the World Judo Masters, where he took bronze.
7 Returning Champions