In a revealing episode of JudoPOD, Karakas opens up about stepping away from competition after more than two decades at the highest level, not because her passion faded but because her body had reached its limits after years of injuries and surgeries.
Today, her biggest challenge isn’t cutting weight or fighting for medals, it’s navigating life with her newborn daughter. She describes motherhood as “amazing” but physically demanding, admitting that in the early weeks, even her recovery levels were “almost dying in the red.” Still, she’s clear: the emotional reward outweighs everything.
Looking back, Karakas highlights her 2020 European title as one of her defining moments. Preparing alone during lockdown, she pushed herself through almost cinematic “Rocky-style” training from running in the mountains to even pushing her car to stay sharp. In the final against Telma Monteiro, she relied not on spectacular technique but on pure mental focus to secure victory, later earning Hungary’s Athlete of the Year award.
Her reflections on elite sport are refreshingly honest. Karakas reveals she competed for years with severe ligament injuries, trapped in the “bubble” of high-performance sport where discipline becomes extreme and stepping back feels impossible. Despite missing out on an Olympic medal, she has made peace with her career, knowing she pushed herself to the absolute limit.
Now working with the International Judo Federation in Budapest, Karakas is shaping the sport from the inside. As a member of the IJF Executive Committee, she focuses on developing opportunities for athletes, especially during the difficult transition of retirement, and plays a key role in organising the Youth Olympic pathway. Her journey is no longer about medals but impact.
Watch the full interview to hear Hedvig Karakas speak about sacrifice, identity after sport and how she’s helping to build the future of judo beyond the mat in JudoPOD’s 10th edition.
All episodes are available on Youtube, Spotify, JudoTv.com
and Apple Podcasts.