Yeldos Smetov is not done yet

Yeldos Smetov has been quiet since Paris. Very quiet. After finally standing on top of the Olympic podium in the summer of 2024, the Kazakh legend stepped away from competition, fixed his body and took a breath. Now, he has confirmed what many suspected. He is coming back.

Paris was the missing piece. With Olympic gold in the under 60kg category, Smetov completed the full set after silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020. Three Games. Three medals. One of the most complete Olympic careers in lightweight judo.

After the celebrations, reality kicked in. Smetov returned home, underwent shoulder surgery and shifted focus for a while. Not to training camps. To language school. He spent time in the UK learning English, something he suddenly realised he needed.

“After I became Olympic champion, suddenly all the media, all the journalists, everyone is speaking in English,” he said. “Before, my English was only: ‘Hello, how are you?’ Now I can say, ‘I’m an Olympic champion.’”

There was also unfinished business with his body. The shoulder needed work, and he took it seriously.

“I am currently undergoing a recovery program following surgery and expect to return to training soon, around December, with full training resuming in 2026,” Smetov said this month in an interview with the Almaty Sports Department.

At 60kg, time is never generous, but Smetov has never rushed decisions. One major reason for continuing is close to home. Very close.

“Yes, they do. That’s part of my motivation: my family,” he said when asked by Olympics.com if his children wanted him to keep fighting. As a father of five, motivation now looks different than it did ten years ago.

But there is also something else. Something only judoka truly understand.

“I’ve got the Olympic golden back patch,” he said. “But I haven’t fought in it yet. I want to wear it.”

That says everything.

Yeldos Smetov does not want to retire quietly as an Olympic champion. He wants to step back onto the tatami with gold on his back, bow once more and fight as the man who finally completed the journey.

Comebacks do not always work. But when a judoka comes back for reasons like this, you pay attention.

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