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[ODDS and EVENS] Judoka Uta Abe Excels in Comeback at the Baku Grand Slam

Four-time world champion Uta Abe won the women's 52-kg title in Azerbaijan. It was her first competition since a shock second-round loss at the Paris Games.

by
Ed Odeven
February 21, 2025

With three victories in three judo matches at the Baku Grand Slam, Uta Abe delivered a robust reminder of her place within the sport's pecking order.

The Kobe native, a four-time world champion in the women's 52-kg division, competed in the Azerbaijani capital on Friday, February 14, and claimed the 10th Grand Slam title of her illustrious career.

Indeed, the spotlight was on Abe as she was back in action for the first time since the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After a stunning second-round loss to Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan at the Paris Games, Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Abe had vowed to "start from scratch again," Kyodo News reported.

The magnitude of Abe's loss to the eventual Paris gold medalist cannot be overstated. Her overall brilliance as a judoka was one of the sport's defining traits for years. Olympics.com recently summed it up by writing, "For years, she seemed untouchable, dominating her division."

Abe, 24, mentioned her most immediate goal in an interview with Kyodo News.

"I have to win the world title," she was quoted as saying in the run-up to the Baku Grand Slam. "I'll try to stick to my style of judo and win one match at a time."

The 2025 World Judo Championships will be held June 13-20 in Budapest. Expect Abe to be in the hunt for another world title.

Before that, she'll have additional opportunities to fine-tune her judo skills in various tournaments.

The Road to Victory for Uta Abe in Baku

On a busy Valentine's Day, competing in the sport that she loves, Abe conquered three opponents to secure the Baku Grand Slam title.

Serbia's Nikolina Nisavic was Abe's first opponent of the day, followed by Hungary's Roza Gyertyas. And in the 52-kg women's final, it was Abe vs Mascha Ballhaus of Germany.

Abe outlasted Nisavic in overtime in her opening match of the Baku tourney. She showed patience and endurance along the way.

After that Abe's superiority resulted in a rapid triumph over Gyertyas, wrapping up the match in just nine seconds. In doing so, she deployed a textbook ko-soto-gari (foot-throwing technique) with precision.

Displaying abundant energy and quick, powerful movements, Abe was sharp while performing various judo techniques. She appeared to have a singular focus throughout her three matches. It was all about winning.

In the 52-kg title match, Abe confirmed that her physical fitness, overall skills and personal quest to be a winner again were a powerful combination.

Ballhaus hurt her chances for victory by being penalized for passivity. And that was an impetus for Abe to keep the pressure on her opponent.

Which proved to be the right approach, as Abe sealed the victory by ippon, utilizing ne-waza (ground technique).

Reflections on the Baku Grand Slam

Uta Abe returned to Tokyo on Tuesday, February 18 and spoke to reporters at Haneda Airport about her Baku experience.

For Abe, the trip to Azerbaijan was a big deal ― in a positive way. It marked a renewal for her, a mental reset of sorts, too.

"I feel like I'm home," Abe said of her first judo competition of 2025, according to Jiji Press. "It's a second chapter, or rather, my judo life has begun again."

Abe has said on a number of occasions that she wants to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Like her older brother Hifumi Abe, the two-time defending men's 66-kg gold medalist, she aspires to win another gold medal.

Their dual gold medal success on the same day at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics was one of the special sports stories of 2021. Three years later, Uta's loss preceded Hifumi's march to his second gold ― again on the same day.

A fierce competitor, Abe has thrived on the international stage throughout her judo career. She triumphed at the 2017 Tokyo Grand Slam (her first Grand Slam title) and captured her first world title a year later in Baku.

What was Abe's mindset heading into the 2025 Baku Grand Slam?

"I must win this tournament," the determined judoka said, according to Jiji Press.

The 1st Chapter of Uta Abe's Comeback

Before Abe demonstrated her elite-level judo skills in Baku, she took a break from the sport after experiencing personal disappointment at the Paris Olympics.

October 2024 marked the start of her comeback.

As someone more interested in athletes' and coaches' perspectives on training techniques and routines than statistics, Abe's comments about her post-Olympic relaunch were compelling to me.

"It was difficult to face judo from the very beginning," she said, referring to when she started to train again in October, Jiji Press reported.

That said, Abe experienced a renewed resolve to train.

"When I stood on the tatami, I felt with my body that this is where I belong," Abe said, according to Jiji Press.

As judo fans witnessed live or in video replays, the 52-kg division dynamo showed once again in Baku that she belongs among the sport's circle of champions.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.