Patricia Sampaio closes the year as world number one in the -78kg category, becoming the first Portuguese judoka in history to finish a season at the top of the senior world ranking. It is a position she once held as a junior and now reclaims at the highest level of the sport, after a year defined by consistency, medals and resilience.
“This year one of the goals I had for myself was to be constantly in the top four or five of the ranking. To finish as world number one means going beyond my expectations and is more than anything the result of consistent work and multiple medals throughout the year. Having one big result is amazing but being number one means you did many good things during the entire year. That makes me really happy and proud of myself and my team.”
For Portuguese judo, the achievement carries a broader meaning.
“I think it puts Portuguese judo more on the world stage and shows that in our country we can do great things. Still, personally, I do not think we can be satisfied as a whole judo team. It is not enough. I showed everybody that this is possible but we have more strong and capable people. I believe in them and I really hope many of them can also achieve higher positions soon.”
Although she reached the top of the ranking in May, the reality of the achievement took time to fully register.
“I did not really take it so seriously until I arrived at the World Championships and looked at my accreditation with the number one on it. I am conscious that the ranking list can change a lot throughout the year but I became really happy and proud of that achievement, especially because a few weeks earlier I had lost the spot and then got it back just in time to finish the year as number one.”
A Long and Demanding Progression
Sampaio’s career has been marked by steady progression, from cadet silver in 2016 to junior European titles and now senior European gold and a world bronze medal. Looking back, the journey was rarely linear.
“My development was very progressive, slowly but surely. My transitions were good. When I was a cadet I started fighting juniors and the other way around. Right before becoming a senior, it was hard for me to get a spot and opportunities in the team but as soon as I fought at the 2018 European Championships, I got my ticket to travel with them.”
The most demanding period came with the transition to senior competition.
“Probably the hardest part was dealing with my ‘not so successful’ times when I started fighting seniors like I was used to in the previous ages. I had to build my journey step by step, grow up and improve a lot.”
Her first senior World Championship medal arrived in 2025, years after her junior success, yet, her belief never disappeared.
“I had a fifth place in 2019 while I was still a junior, so I always believed I could be in those medal fights again and actually achieve it. Through these years, my judo technically and tactically improved a lot and I am physically stronger now. Besides that, my journey to Paris forced me to become mentally stronger. I started to know myself better, believing in myself and focusing on the tasks towards my goals.”
Even the bronze medal, a landmark achievement, was framed with ambition.
“A bronze medal at the worlds was not actually what I came for but I am working to be the best even on my worst days. On my worst day, I was still the third best in the world.”
From Tokyo to Paris: An Olympic Transformation
The contrast between her two Olympic experiences could not be sharper. Finishing 9th in Tokyo 2021 was followed by bronze in Paris 2024, a transformation driven largely by mental growth.
“Tokyo and Paris were two completely different experiences. In 2021 I was younger, nervous and not well prepared. I got scared by the big stage and everything around it. Mentally, I was not okay and after that experience I got even worse. It took me time to be at peace with my Olympic participation. All I could see was failure, even though a few months before I was injured and could not even walk.”
Paris brought a different version of herself.
“In Paris, I was just happy. The journey was hard, the preparation was tough and I was so grateful to be there. I remember getting on the plane to Paris always smiling like a child. I enjoyed every walk in the village, every training and recovery session, every person who was there to support me. On fight day, it was only me and my dream, nothing else.”
That Olympic cycle reshaped her identity as an athlete.
“I had to learn to believe in myself until Paris. There I met a girl fighting that I had never seen before and now I can take her to every competition I step into.”
Moments That Changed Everything
Asked whether there was a competition that confirmed she belonged at the very top, Sampaio points to a longer process rather than a single event.
“Throughout 2023 I felt that I was ready, even though I could not get the exact medals I dreamed about at the Europeans and worlds. In Montpellier, I got injured one week before in Abu Dhabi and had to manage pain because I did not want to miss that competition. I still won bronze, my first senior European medal and that helped me understand that I could fight for top positions even when I am not one hundred percent.”
The Olympic medal, however, changed her perspective entirely.
“An Olympic medal gives you a feeling that nothing else can. When you reach that, you certainly feel you are at the very top.”
Her consistency across Grand Slams in 2023 and 2024 has been striking, particularly in a category known for its volatility.
“I really have no secret or magic solution. I work a lot and my team and I are always trying to understand where I can get better and what I can improve. I am obsessed with judo and with my goals. Winning becomes an addiction and you just want more. I also have very strong opponents who force me to constantly reinvent myself.”
Rivals, Pressure and the Reality of Being Number One
The -78kg category is currently one of the deepest in women’s judo and Sampaio is fully aware of the level around her.
“Right now I am number one but the ranking list depends on results and also on how many competitions you do. Still, I believe I am one of the top athletes because in every competition this year I was on the podium. The quality in this category is huge. Many countries have more than one strong athlete, some even three or more. Everyone wants our spot at the top.”
Rather than being a burden, this rivalry fuels her development.
“They always come with new problems for me to solve. That makes my work more difficult but it also forces me to get better from competition to competition.”
Technically and mentally, certain opponents have been particularly influential.
“The French and the Germans always forced me to improve and find new solutions. Since 2022, when Alice Bellandi moved to this weight, she has been my biggest rival and someone who pushes me to work more and become better.”
Evolving Judo and a Stronger Mind
From gripping systems to body positioning, Sampaio’s judo has evolved significantly.
“My gripping system improved a lot and also my body positioning for throws. I have always been explosive but now even more and I practise the position of my drops to make them more effective. Mentally, I am much stronger and more confident than when I was younger. That is something experience and maturity give you.”
Despite her reputation for endurance in long contests, she sees it in a pragmatic way.
“When the fight gets longer, I try not to panic. I train for every situation that might happen and I am very competitive. My will to win is very big.”
Portugal, Teamwork and Sacrifice
Portugal has produced multiple world ranking leaders and Sampaio values the environment that surrounds her.
“To be the best, you have to be surrounded by the best and by people who are willing to do everything to achieve that. Being part of that environment, especially at the beginning of my senior journey, helped me learn how the best train, act and think.”
Her coaching team remains central to her daily progress.
“My brother has been my coach since I was thirteen. At fourteen I joined the national team and Marco has been my coach there since then. Together, we built something very strong. They are always studying matches and opponents, planning my physical training and helping me grow mentally tougher.”
Like every elite athlete, she has faced moments of real hardship.
“Breaking my leg nine months before the Tokyo Olympics was a tremendous tragedy for me. That was when I asked for help from a sports psychologist. Injuries are the most difficult challenges because you see others doing what you love and you cannot. I always try to focus on what I can do instead of what I cannot and to improve something that I usually do not have time for.”
Now, as world number one, Patricia Sampaio stands not only as a leader of her category but as a symbol of what long term belief, patience and relentless work can achieve, both for herself and for Portuguese judo as a whole that delivered again a world ranking leader.
Author: Hans Van Essen