Brazilian judoka Beatriz Souza clinched the gold medal in the +78kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Friday, defeating Israeli competitor Raz Hershko. This victory marks Brazil's first gold medal at the Paris Games.

In a closely contested and tactical final, Souza from Sao Paulo state scored a waza-ari early in the match by throwing Hershko to the ground with an "O-soto-guruma" maneuver. She maintained this advantage until the end of the 4-minute regulation time. Both athletes were on the brink of disqualification with two "shidós" each.

This gold medal is Brazil's seventh medal in these Games, with three of them coming from judo (Souza's gold, a silver from Willian Lima, and a bronze from Larissa Pimenta). It is also the first gold medal Brazil has won in the women's +78kg category. Historically, Brazil has accumulated 27 Olympic judo medals (5 gold, 4 silver, and 17 bronze).

Kneeling on the tatami immediately after her victory, the judoka from Itariri (Sao Paulo) was honored by the organizers with a rendition of the popular Michel Telô song "Ai se eu te pego."