From “Good at Judo” as a Child to Achieving Her Lifelong Dream

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Argentine judoka Paula Pareto captured the gold medal in the women’s 48-kilogram division, defeating South Korea’s Jeong Bo-khrung in the final at Carioca Arena 2. According to historical records from the International Judo Federation and the International Olympic Committee, the victory made Pareto the first female individual Olympic champion from Argentina and the country’s first gold medalist in judo, culminating a career built on balancing elite international sport with a demanding medical profession.

The path to the Olympic podium in Brazil required navigating a grueling tournament bracket and years of physical toll. Pareto entered the 2016 Games as the reigning world champion, having secured the 48kg title at the 2015 World Judo Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. That world championship gold complemented her bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where she became the first Argentine female judoka to win an Olympic medal. Between her breakthrough in Beijing and her triumph in Rio de Janeiro, Pareto maintained a strict daily regimen that paired morning and evening training sessions with her studies and subsequent work as a traumatologist.

In the opening rounds at Carioca Arena, Pareto defeated Irina Dolgova of Russia by waza-ari in the round of 16, then overcame Hungary’s Éva Csernoviczky by ippon in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she faced Japan’s Ami Kondo, prevailing by waza-ari in a tactical encounter that secured her place in the gold medal match. Against Jeong in the final, Pareto scored a waza-ari in the second minute and defended her lead through the final buzzer, securing the 1–0 victory.

Following her victory in Rio, Pareto continued to compete at the highest international level while deepening her medical practice. She secured a bronze medal at the 2018 World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and competed at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, where she reached the quarterfinals before falling to Japan’s Funa Tonaki and subsequently announcing her retirement from competitive professional judo.

Today, Pareto remains active within the Olympic movement, participating in athlete commission initiatives and mentoring younger generations of South American martial artists. Her transition from Olympic champion to full-time medical doctor stands as a defining chapter in modern Argentine sports history, documented across official Olympic archives and international federation records.