French judoka Romane Dicko enters the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, seeking her second career world title while overhauling her signature tactical style. At age 27, the heavyweight has adjusted her training and movement on the tatami to counter shifting division demographics and a challenge from Léa Fontaine.
Tashkent Crown and the Evolution to a Multi-Dimensional Style
The Paris native captured her first world title in Tashkent in 2022, securing victories through a single dominant sequence. During that stretch, she routinely deployed her right arm across her opponent’s back before dropping into a right-sided harai-makikomi roll, frequently closing matches with an immobilisation. Dicko has since shelved that one-dimensional approach to prepare for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Working alongside Jane Bridge at INSEP and Baptiste Leroy at PSG Judo, Dicko has added muscle mass and incorporated a more fluid movement style. Aux Mondiaux, l’objectif c’est d’arriver avec le maximum de techniques. Les filles m’attendent tellement que j’ai travaillé d’autres choses,
Dicko stated. Her preparations this season have introduced a riskier yoko-guruma rolling technique alongside an o-soto-gari (outer major reap) that she successfully executed in competition for the first time during the Lausanne tournament in August.
Domestic Rivalry and International Reversals in 2026
The tactical transition has brought immediate competitive hurdles during the 2026 season. At the European Championships, Dicko suffered her first career defeat in the continental tournament against Estonia’s Aktas, exhausting herself before conceding a crucial score. She followed that result with a defeat in the final of the Lausanne tournament, where French rival Léa Fontaine countered her attempted foot sweeps.
Despite those setbacks, Dicko characterized her performance in Switzerland as one of her best outings since the Olympic Games. Dicko has begun exploring backward attacks, though she notes she is still learning how to exploit that direction in competitive bouts. Her traditional harai-goshi has seen reduced usage as she faces heavier opponents who have adapted to her right-arm attacks.
Shifting Heavyweight Demographics and the Road Through Baku
According to Dicko’s technical assessment, the physical profiles in the over-78-kilogram division have evolved. Les gabarits des lourdes ont changé,
Dicko analyzed. On repasse dans des gabarits très lourds. C’est pour ça que mon harai passe moins bien. C’est pour ça que pour les faire tomber ça doit passer par les pieds.
To break down heavier opponents, she has emphasized mobility, preliminary attacks to disrupt balance, and improved grip distance. In Baku, Dicko opens her campaign against Cuba’s Curbela Travieso. The tournament bracket places her on a potential semifinal collision course with Léa Fontaine, second seed, amid a deep international field featuring competitors from Japan, Brazil, South Korea, and China.
Dicko Opens Tournament Schedule Against Curbela Travieso
Dicko opens her tournament schedule in Baku against Curbela Travieso, with the tournament continuing this Saturday evening.
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