Romane Dicko Triumphs in Women’s +78 kg Elimination Round of 16 at Paris 2024

In an exhilarating showdown at the Champ-de-Mars Arena during the Paris 2024 Olympics, French judoka Romane Dicko faced off against Georgia's Sophio Somkhishvili in the Women’s +78 kg Elimination Round of 16. The match took place on August 2, 2024, and lasted for an intense 1 minute and 52 seconds, culminating in a decisive victory for Dicko.

Dicko, who entered the match as the world-ranked number one judoka in her category, showcased her exceptional skills and experience. She quickly gained the upper hand against Somkhishvili, who held the 29th rank in the world. The contest began promptly at 11:00 AM local time, and Dicko wasted no time in establishing her dominance.

As the match progressed, Dicko executed a series of strategic moves that led to penalties for her opponent. At 1 minute 18 seconds into the contest, Somkhishvili received a penalty, which further tilted the momentum in favor of Dicko. The match concluded with Dicko securing the win via IPP, a classification indicating a full point victory, thus advancing her to the quarterfinals with a score of 10 points to 0.

In contrast, Somkhishvili, despite her best efforts, was unable to score any points and ended the match with a total of 3 penalties against her. Her best prior result had been a second-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in 2022, but on this day, she was unable to replicate that success.

The referee for this thrilling encounter was Mariano dos Santos from Brazil, ensuring that the match was officiated with precision and fairness. With this victory, Romane Dicko not only displayed her prowess on the judo mat but also cemented her status as a leading contender for the gold medal in her division at the Paris Olympics.

Fans and supporters of judo around the world will undoubtedly be keen to follow Dicko’s journey as she aims for Olympic glory in the following rounds of the competition. With her impressive performance in the Elimination Round of 16, expectations are high for this talented athlete from France.