After a magnificent performance, the Belgian judoka offers a third medal to Belgium.
In the first round, Gabriella Willems had eliminated the Puerto Rican Maria Perez after a fight that was decided on shidos (yellow cards). The 27-year-old Belgian then achieved the feat against the world number two, the Greek Elisavet Teltsidou, in the round of 16. In difficulty, Willems waited until the last seconds of the fight to begin a perfectly controlled immobilization. In the quarter-finals, Willems this time suffered the law of the German Miriam Butkereit, after a long attempt at immobilization on the ground.
Sent back to the repechage, the Verviers native then proved intractable against the French Marie Eve Gahie, world number 7. Barely 40 seconds were enough for the Belgian to defeat her opponent by ippon on an armlock.
In the small final for a podium, the Belgian judoka was then able to win against the Dutch Sanne van Dijke thanks to a waza-ari.
Gabriella Willems can savor her bronze medal. However, she had injured her shoulder in March 2023 and then had knee surgery a few months later. It was only last May that she qualified for the Olympic Games at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
