On the bottom half of the draw, Rafaela, Olympic and double world champion from the category below, dealt with Cabana Perez (ESP), Deketer (FRA), and then in the quarter-final launched Olympic bronze medallist Laura Fazliu (KOS) with the most incredible uchi-mata, securing her place in the opposite semi-final, away from her teammate.
Look at that!
A double-Silva final in the hunt for gold would have been quite something but it wasn’t to be. Each was beaten in their respective semi-final, Nauana by Kaju (JPN) who is unbeaten since creating her IJF profile page. She took Tokyo Grand Slam gold last year and won at the 2025 Paris Grand Slam and Asian Championships. Without a loss on her record so far, Kaju was a formidable opponent for Nauana and took the win in ne-waza.
Rafaela to a Canadian who is among the most prolific medallists of the category in the last few years, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard. She too won in ne-waza, dominating a long and expertly managed exchange on the floor from which Rafaela just couldn’t escape.
The final block of day 4 at the Papp Laszlo Arena begins at 6pm local time and can be followed live on JudoTV.
Final
Haruka Kaju (JPN) vs Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (CAN)
Bronze medal contests
Gankhaich Bold (MGL) vs Rafaela Silva (BRA)
Laura Fazliu (KOS) vs Nauana Silva (BRA)