Romane Dicko secured the gold medal in the women’s over-78 kilogram division at the Grand Slam of Paris after her compatriot and final opponent, Julia Tolofua, suffered a serious knee injury and was forced to withdraw, according to reports from Le Figaro.
A Final Decided by Injury at the Accor Arena
The headline match between two of France’s top heavyweights ended abruptly on Sunday afternoon. According to Le Figaro, Romane Dicko and Julia Tolofua engaged in an intensely contested opening half of the final before Tolofua sustained a severe knee injury. Dicko’s gold added to a strong weekend for the French delegation, following earlier titles won on Saturday by Shirine Boukli in the under-48 kg category and Sarah-Léonie Cysique in the under-57 kg division.
French Podiums and Standout Performances on Sunday
Beyond the heavyweight final, French judokas captured multiple bronze medals during Sunday’s sessions at the Accor Arena. In the under-78 kg class, 23-year-old vice-champion of France Liz Ngelebeya earned a bronze medal by defeating veteran compatriot Audrey Tcheuméo, a 2011 world champion and double Olympic medalist, according to Le Figaro. In the over-78 kg division, Léa Fontaine also secured a bronze by overcoming compatriot Celia Cancan following a penalty assessed in the closing seconds of the match. On the men’s side, 26-year-old Alexis Mathieu provided France’s sole men’s medal of the tournament, taking bronze in the under-90 kg category by defeating Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis—a bronze medalist at the Paris Olympic Games—via ippon, as reported by Le Figaro.
Context and International Calendar
For Romane Dicko, the Paris gold builds upon a decorated competitive résumé that includes an Olympic bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Games, a world championship title in 2022, and five European titles. The Grand Slam of Paris remains a premier fixture on the International Judo Federation tour, drawing elite athletes to the French capital each winter. Competitors now look ahead to upcoming continental opens and global circuit stops as the sport’s governing bodies finalize qualification pathways for international championships later in the season.
Related reading
