Dramatic setback for Gabriella Willems

Just when it felt like she had finally outrun her bad luck, Gabriella Willems has been stopped again. The Belgian judoka confirmed via social media that she has suffered another serious knee injury during an international training camp. It is her third anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

A brutal blow, especially considering where she stood not long ago. Less than two years after winning Olympic bronze in Paris in the women’s under 70kg category, Willems is once again facing surgery and months of rehabilitation.

The story is painfully familiar. Back in April 2021, Willems tore the ACL in her right knee at the Antalya Grand Slam, an injury that cost her a place at the Tokyo Olympic Games. After battling back, the same ligament gave way again in August 2023. Now, history has repeated itself for a third time.

Willems is scheduled to go under the knife on Monday. What follows is another long, lonely rehab process, made even more intense by the calendar. Olympic qualification for Los Angeles 2028 begins in June. Time is not on her side, but if there is one thing Willems has proven before, it is that she does not fold easily.

The response from the judo world was immediate. Dozens of athletes, teammates and rivals alike flooded her social media with messages of support, respect and encouragement. In a sport where toughness is a given, the level of solidarity showed just how much Willems is respected on and off the tatami.

This is not just another injury update. It is another test of resilience for an athlete who has already rebuilt herself more than once. The road back will be hard. Again. But if there is anyone who has earned the right to believe in one more comeback, it is Gabriella Willems.

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