Her throwing power will be one of her greatest assets. A bronze medallist in Doha in 2023, Hershko will be aiming higher this time. Having spent several days around the warm-up area, she has had time to feel the atmosphere and knows what awaits. In the opening round, she will face Ling Fang Chang (TPE).
Should Hershko progress as expected, a serious test could await in the quarter-finals. Determining who that will be is more difficult. Will it be young Chinese judoka Xinran Niu (CHN) or one of two Olympic champions: Beatriz Souza (BRA), Paris 2024 gold medallist, or Akira Sone (JPN), winner at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021?
Pool B is more open, though not necessarily any clearer. No single athlete stands out, meaning that everything remains possible in the race for a semi-final place.
The lower half of the draw is particularly deep, notably with two French athletes in contention. Romane Dicko (FRA) has already experienced world gold, in Tashkent in 2022. Léa Fontaine (FRA) arrives after winning in Lausanne at the end of August, where she defeated her teammate in the final.
France may be targeting two medals, perhaps even gold and bronze at best but nothing is assured. The opposition will not make it easy. For world number two Fontaine, Mao Arai (JPN) could be waiting in the quarter-finals, while Dicko may have to overcome Helena Vukovic (CRO). Once again, the draw offers possibilities rather than certainties and the tatami will provide the verdict.
There is no shortage of favourites and outsiders alike. Everything remains to be written in the final women’s category of the week, before the mixed team competition begins on Sunday.