Hifumi Abe is a Japanese judoka who competes in the Men's half-lightweight division.
78 Facts About Hifumi Abe
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Hifumi Abe won two consecutive gold medals in the Men's 66 kg competition at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, as well as two silver medals in a row with the Japanese team in those games' judo mixed team events.
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Hifumi Abe is a four-time world champion, having won the gold medal in his weight category at the World Judo Championships in 2017,2018,2022, and 2023.
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Hifumi Abe subsequently won his first IJF senior competition, the Tokyo Grand Slam, in December 2014, at just 17 years old, unexpectedly beating the reigning world champion of his weight category and favorite, Masashi Ebinuma, in the semi-final.
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Hifumi Abe began training judo in 2003, at the age of 6, in his hometown of Kobe in Hyogo prefecture.
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Hifumi Abe's father, Koji, is a firefighter at the Kobe City Fire Department.
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Hifumi Abe was often thrown by Nami Nabekura when they were in elementary school.
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Hifumi Abe said, "such an experience made me what I am".
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Hifumi Abe then embarked on his junior career while attending Shinko Gakuen Shinko high school.
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Hifumi Abe has been coached by Atsushi Nobukawa since elementary school.
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Hifumi Abe's younger sister, Uta Abe, is a highly accomplished judoka who competes in the Women's 52 kg division.
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Hifumi Abe had won several competitions as a cadet including the Asian U17 Championships in 2012, and the European Cup Cadets in 2012.
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Hifumi Abe reached the final, meeting Georgia's Koba Mchedishvili, and lost by ippon, settling for silver.
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Hifumi Abe defeated the son of Japanese legend Toshihiko Koga, Hayato, at the 2015 Inter-High School Championships.
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Hifumi Abe played ippon judo throughout the tournament, and defeated Ukraine's Bogdav Iadov by waza-ari using sode tsurikomi goshi, and then seoi nage for ippon, securing a gold medal for Japan.
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Hifumi Abe was a favourite coming into the 2014 World Juniors Championships in Fort Lauderdale.
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Hifumi Abe was one of the few youth Olympic champions in the tournament.
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Hifumi Abe was ahead in the first two and a half minutes, scoring a waza-ari and a yuko.
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However, Mgdsyan managed to gain two waza-aris in just 45 seconds, effectively securing ippon and defeating Hifumi Abe, leaving the latter to settle for silver.
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Hifumi Abe rose to national prominence at the Kodokan Cup, his first senior tournament, where he became the youngest winner at 16-years-old, and the first high school student to win the Cup in ten years since Satoshi Ishii in 2004.
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Hifumi Abe's win was a surprise, especially in the third round when he defeated Masaaki Fukuoka in less than two minutes by ippon, with an uki otoshi.
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Hifumi Abe transitioned to senior level internationally at the 2014 Tokyo Grand Slam, one of the most prestigious and high-level tournaments of the IJF circuit.
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Hifumi Abe dominated his opening fight against Peru's Alonso Wong, scoring a waza-ari and pinning with a kesa-gatame for ippon.
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Hifumi Abe competed against five-time World Championships medalist and 2009 World Champion Georgii Zantaraia in the quarter-final, and surprisingly managed to score a waza-ari.
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Hifumi Abe was nevertheless through to a semi-final match up against triple and reigning World Champion, fellow Japanese Masashi Ebinuma.
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However, Hifumi Abe almost threw Ebinuma for a score twice, but was unable to due to the senior's solid defense.
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Hifumi Abe then caused an upset by scoring waza-ari in the last minute with ushiro goshi, defeating Ebinuma and reaching the final.
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Hifumi Abe scored a yuko with an ouchi gari, and Pollack landed on his side outside the mat, hitting his head on the barrier.
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Hifumi Abe then attempted to pin him, and Pollack was unable to escape, possibly ending the bout with a win to Hifumi Abe, but was voided by the referee as the second skill was out of play.
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Hifumi Abe competed in his first tournament of the year at the 2015 Dusseldorf Grand Prix.
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Hifumi Abe struggled in his first fight, scraping through by yuko.
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Hifumi Abe then faced 2014 Asian Games champion Davaadorjiin Tomorkhuleg in the third round, and was defeated by waza-ari, ending his tournament.
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Hifumi Abe then returned to the tour at the 2015 Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix.
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Hifumi Abe won by two waza-aris, the first of which using kosoto gari and the second using his main skill sode tsurikomi goshi.
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Hifumi Abe then faced Mongolia's Batgerel Battsetseg, and won by ippon and yuko.
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Hifumi Abe faced budding rival Tomorkhuleg in the final, and scored first for a waza-ari, however was defeated by ippon in the final minute when Tomorkhuleg threw him using kosoto gari.
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Hifumi Abe defeated Yuuki Hashiguchi by shido in his first fight, then subsequently lost to Kengo Takaichi in just a minute and half when Takaichi pinned him using ushiro-kesa-gatame for ippon, leaving him to settle for a bronze medal.
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Hifumi Abe competed in his second Kodokan Cup and entered as the defending champion.
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However, Hifumi Abe looked off-form, not scoring a single point until the bronze medal match, where he used osoto gari and kosoto gari for an awasete ippon.
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Hifumi Abe played all-ippon judo for the first time in a senior tournament at the 2015 Tashkent Grand Prix.
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Hifumi Abe then defeated local Dostonjon Holikulov using a powerful double sleeve grip osoto gari for ippon.
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Hifumi Abe sealed his win using tai otoshi for waza-ari, and connecting to pin Mariac with kesa-gatame for ippon.
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Hifumi Abe then had another versatility showcase in the semi-final against Mongolia's Dovdony Altansukh.
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Hifumi Abe scored a yuko in just 17 seconds, and then scored a waza-ari with tai otoshi.
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Hifumi Abe then attempted to pin Dovdony, but was unsuccessful.
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Hifumi Abe scored another yuko with his signature skill drop seoi nage, and again attempted to pin, but his leg was latched on by Dovdony.
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Hifumi Abe scored ippon with a second drop seoi nage and sealed his win.
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Hifumi Abe defeated China's Ma Duanbin with another powerful double sleeve grip osoto gari to end the fight in just 36 seconds by ippon, becoming tournament champion.
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Hifumi Abe looked to be on form and reached the semi-final, where he met budding rival Ebinuma.
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Hifumi Abe was the first to attempt a skill, and managed to throw Ebinuma with sode-tsurikomi-goshi, but was unable to gain a score.
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Hifumi Abe again attempted a skill, and this time was successful with osoto gari.
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Hifumi Abe then connected to kesa gatame to pin Ebinuma, but the senior was able to escape before an ippon could be achieved, but scoring a waza-ari.
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Hifumi Abe then threw Ebinuma again with sode-tsurikomi-goshi, initially scoring another waza-ari for ippon, but was voided by the referees.
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Hifumi Abe again attempted a back throw, and was successful for a waza-ari, sending him through to the final and causing an upset.
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Hifumi Abe planned to compete at the 2016 Asian Championships, but was sidelined with a knee ligament injury.
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Hifumi Abe is currently ranked 25th in the second last IJF World Rankings before the Olympics, and only the top 22 would be able to qualify.
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Hifumi Abe has been chosen as an ambassador for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Hifumi Abe entered the 2016 Tyumen Grand Slam as the number one seed, and was considered favorite for gold.
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Hifumi Abe was coached by Yusuke Kanamaru and Keiji Suzuki from the sidelines.
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Hifumi Abe opened his first bout on fire, throwing Talishinski with his signature ouchi gari for waza-ari.
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Hifumi Abe then scored another waza-ari for awasete ippon with a powerful seoi otoshi.
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Hifumi Abe threw Tateyama for waza-ari with deashi barai and earned several shidos, but continued on to the final with the former unable to score any throws.
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Hifumi Abe entered the 2016 Tokyo Grand Slam following senior and rival Ebinuma's absence as the top ranked half-lightweight from Japan.
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Hifumi Abe faced Japanese-based Korean Kim Lim-hwan in his first fight and scored a waza-ari with an ippon seoi nage.
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Hifumi Abe then tried to connect with osaekomi waza but was unsuccessful.
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Hifumi Abe finally sealed the fight with ippon with a phenomenal single sleeve grip sode-tsurikomi-goshi.
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Hifumi Abe played with one of his most used ashi waza ouchi gari for a waza-ari.
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Hifumi Abe attempted a seoi nage which was initially scored an ippon but then relegated to a waza-ari.
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Hifumi Abe followed with an osoto gari but Hashiguchi was able to escape the attack.
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Hifumi Abe then won his second Grand Slam in Tokyo with a stunning tai otoshi for ippon.
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Hifumi Abe was considered as a major contender at the World Championships following his win, as well as one of judo's top half-lightweights.
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In 2021, Hifumi Abe won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics on the same day that his younger sister Uta won the gold medal in her judo division.
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Abe Hifumi returned to the IJF World Tour on 8 July 2022 winning the Budapest Grand Slam.
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Hifumi Abe won five fights, including semi-final against the world number one Denis Vieru and the final against his country-man Joshiro Maruyama with an ashi-waza footsweep.
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Hifumi Abe is known for a more modern style of Japanese judo, like fellow lightweight and World Champion Naohisa Takato.
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Hifumi Abe prefers a double sleeve grip when executing throws.
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Hifumi Abe often connects skills using ashi waza like osoto gari and ouchi gari to set up his nage waza, and uses osoto gari and ouchi gari as a lone skill for ippon.
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Hifumi Abe considers Tadahiro Nomura as his favourite fighter and main influence in his judo.