Raz Hershko's pursuit of revenge over Beatriz Souza will have to wait another twelve days. Israel's Olympic silver medalist was beaten by the Brazilian in the semi-final of the +78kg category at the Lima Grand Prix on Sunday, ONE reports, though she recovered to take the bronze medal later in the day.
The draw put Hershko back in front of Souza, the Olympic champion who beat her in the Paris 2024 final, well before the pair's much-anticipated rematch. Souza went on to advance from that semi-final and Hershko was pushed into the repechage bracket, the standard route back to a medal contest in Olympic-style judo.
She took it. In the bronze medal bout, Hershko beat Colombia's Brigitte Carabalí by ippon, the maximum score that ends a contest outright, to secure a podium finish at the Peru leg of the IJF World Tour.
It is a familiar storyline for the two heavyweights. Hershko lost to Souza by waza-ari in the Paris 2024 Olympic final, taking silver in a result that still delivered Israel one of its marquee medals of those Games. Souza, who at roughly 135kg gives away little in physical presence to any rival in the division, has been the standard the rest of the +78kg field has chased ever since.
Hershko has not let that gap close on its own. She won the European title in 2024 and added a bronze at the 2023 World Championships, building a résumé that puts her among the two or three best heavyweights on the planet even without a win over Souza to show for it.
The bronze in Lima keeps that run of podium finishes intact heading into a far bigger stage. On August 29, Hershko and Souza will meet again in a straight rematch of the Olympic final, this time in São Paulo as part of Spaten Fight Night, a major Brazilian combat sports card that is expected to reach millions of television viewers and has built this edition around judo.
The Brazilian promotion has paired the Hershko-Souza rematch with another heavyweight showcase bout, Olympic and world champion Rafaela Silva against Mexico's Prisca Awiti Alcaraz, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist at light-heavyweight, giving the judo card genuine star power alongside its boxing bill at the Pacaembu.
For Hershko, Lima was ultimately a reminder of where she stands: still short of the one win that has eluded her against Souza, but reliably good enough to leave almost every tournament with a medal regardless. São Paulo will be the sternest test yet of whether that gap can finally close.
