World Ranking Leader Patricia Sampaio

Patrícia Sampaio has emerged as the leading athlete in the U78kg division and started 2026 as the number one judoka in the IJF World Ranking. The Portuguese fighter has built her reputation through steady progression, resilience and remarkable consistency across the World Judo Tour.

Sampaio’s international journey began in the junior ranks where she collected medals at the World Junior Championships in 2017 and 2018 and won the European Junior titles in 2018 and 2019. She later added the European U23 title in Budapest in 2021, confirming her potential as one of Portugal’s brightest judo talents.

Her transition to the senior circuit brought increasingly strong results. She won the Grand Prix in Portugal in 2023 and added several podium finishes on the IJF World Tour, including Grand Slam bronze medals in Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar. In 2025 she achieved some of the biggest successes of her career, winning the Paris Grand Slam and the Grand Slam in Ulaanbaatar. She also claimed bronze at the World Championships in Budapest, her first senior world medal.

These consistent performances propelled her to the top of the world ranking. For Sampaio, however, the ranking reflects something deeper than a single victory.

“To finish as world number one means going beyond my expectations,” she explained. “It shows the consistency of the work my team and I have done throughout the year.”

Olympic bronze in Paris 2024 further strengthened her confidence after a difficult experience in Tokyo. Mentally stronger and technically sharper, Sampaio now stands as one of the most complete athletes in the U78kg category and a major contender for future global titles.

Back to the overview