# Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 78 kg

The women's 78 kg (also known as half-heavyweight) tournament in the judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held on August 14 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium. A total of 21 women competed in this event, limited to jūdōka with a body weight of less than 78 kilograms. Preliminary rounds started at 12:00 Noon CST. Repechage finals, semifinals, bouts for bronze medals and the final were held at 18:00pm CST.
This event was the second-heaviest of the women's judo weight classes, limiting competitors to a maximum of 78 kilograms of body mass. Like all other judo events, bouts lasted five minutes. If the bout was still tied at the end, it was extended for another five-minute, sudden-death period; if neither judoka scored during that period, the match is decided by the judges. The tournament bracket consisted of a single-elimination contest culminating in a gold medal match. There was also a repechage to determine the winners of the two bronze medals. Each judoka who had lost to a semifinalist competed in the repechage. The two judokas who lost in the semifinals faced the winner of the opposite half of the bracket's repechage in bronze medal bouts.

## Qualifying athletes

| Mat | Athlete | Country |
| 1 | Stephanie Grant | Australia |
| 1 | Marylise Levesque | Canada |
| 1 | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd | Mongolia |
| 1 | Yang Xiuli | China |
| 1 | Elena Proskurakova | Kyrgyzstan |
| 1 | Lucia Morico | Italy |
| 1 | Sae Nakazawa | Japan |
| 1 | Edinanci Silva | Brazil |
| 1 | Vera Moskalyuk | Russia |
| 1 | Esther San Miguel | Spain |
| 2 | Heide Wollert | Germany |
| 2 | Maryna Pryshchepa | Ukraine |
| 2 | Vivian Yusuf | Nigeria |
| 2 | Michelle Rogers | Great Britain |
| 2 | Jeong Gyeong-Mi | South Korea |
| 2 | Sagat Abikeyeva | Kazakhstan |
| 2 | Yalennis Castillo | Cuba |
| 2 | Divya | India |
| 2 | Houda Miled | Tunisia |
| 2 | Stéphanie Possamaï | France |
| 2 | Lorena Briceño | Argentina |

## Tournament results
### Final

| Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | 0000 |
| 2 | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | 0000 |

### Mat 1

| Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| | | | Stephanie Grant (AUS) | Stephanie Grant (AUS) | 0000 | | | | | | |
| | | | Marylise Levesque (CAN) | Marylise Levesque (CAN) | 1000 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Marylise Levesque (CAN) | Marylise Levesque (CAN) | 0000 | | | |
| | | | | | | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | 1000 | | | |
| | | | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd (MGL) | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd (MGL) | 0000 | | | | | | |
| Yang Xiuli (CHN) | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | 1000 | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | 1021 | | | | | | |
| Elena Proskurakova (KGZ) | Elena Proskurakova (KGZ) | 0000 | | | | | | | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | Yang Xiuli (CHN) | 1031 |
| | | | | | | | | | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | 0000 |
| | | | Lucia Morico (ITA) | Lucia Morico (ITA) | 0010 | | | | | | |
| | | | Sae Nakazawa (JPN) | Sae Nakazawa (JPN) | 0001 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Lucia Morico (ITA) | Lucia Morico (ITA) | 0011 | | | |
| | | | | | | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | 0220 | | | |
| | | | Edinanci Silva (BRA) | Edinanci Silva (BRA) | 0010 | | | | | | |
| Vera Moskalyuk (RUS) | Vera Moskalyuk (RUS) | 0000 | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | 0011 | | | | | | |
| Esther San Miguel (ESP) | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | 0002 | | | | | | | | | |

### Mat 2

| First Round | First Round | First Round | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| Heide Wollert (GER) | Heide Wollert (GER) | 0011 | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryna Pryshchepa (UKR) | Maryna Pryshchepa (UKR) | 0010 | Heide Wollert (GER) | Heide Wollert (GER) | 1000 | | | | | | |
| | | | Vivian Yusuf (NGR) | Vivian Yusuf (NGR) | 0000 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Heide Wollert (GER) | Heide Wollert (GER) | 0000 | | | |
| | | | | | | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | 1002 | | | |
| | | | Michelle Rogers (GBR) | Michelle Rogers (GBR) | 0000 | | | | | | |
| | | | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | 0001 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | 0000 |
| Sagat Abikeyeva (KAZ) | Sagat Abikeyeva (KAZ) | 0000 | | | | | | | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | 0001 |
| Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | 1021 | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | 1000 | | | | | | |
| | | | Divya (IND) | Divya (IND) | 0000 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | Yalennis Castillo (CUB) | 0030 | | | |
| | | | | | | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 0000 | | | |
| | | | Houda Miled (TUN) | Houda Miled (TUN) | 0012 | | | | | | |
| Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 0001 | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 1010 | | | | | | |
| Lorena Briceño (ARG) | Lorena Briceño (ARG) | 0000 | | | | | | | | | |

### Repechage

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Bronze medal finals | Bronze medal finals |
| Elena Proskurakova (KGZ) | 0000 | Marylise Levesque (CAN) | 0101 | | | | |
| Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd (MGL) | 0230 | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd (MGL) | 0110 | Pürevjargalyn Lkhamdegd (MGL) | 0010 | Jeong Gyeong-Mi (KOR) | 1010 |
| Vera Moskalyuk (RUS) | 0000 | Lucia Morico (ITA) | 0000 | Edinanci Silva (BRA) | 1131 | Edinanci Silva (BRA) | 0000 |
| Edinanci Silva (BRA) | 0021 | Edinanci Silva (BRA) | 1101 | | | | |
| Michelle Rogers (GBR) | | Heide Wollert (GER) | 0010 | | | | |
| BYE | | Michelle Rogers (GBR) | 0001 | Heide Wollert (GER) | 0000 | Esther San Miguel (ESP) | 0010 |
| Sagat Abikeyeva (KAZ) | 1010 | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 1010 | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 0200 | Stéphanie Possamaï (FRA) | 0100 |
| Divya Tewar (IND) | 0000 | Sagat Abikeyeva (KAZ) | 0001 | | | | |