Clarisse Agbégnénou reaches Lausanne semi on return

Clarisse Agbégnénou made a strong return to competition by reaching the semi-finals of the Lausanne Grand Slam, five months after the birth of her second child. The result gives the six-time world champion an encouraging platform ahead of the world championships in Baku, where she will seek a seventh title in October.

Competing in the under-63kg division, the 33-year-old won her first three bouts before facing Angelika Szymanska in the semi-final. The Polish judoka, the 2024 world silver medallist, edged Agbégnénou by a yuko with only 10 seconds remaining. Agbégnénou still had a bronze-medal contest scheduled later on Saturday.

Her quarter-final victory had come against Joanne van Lieshout, the reigning European champion and 2024 world champion. Agbégnénou had not fought since taking silver at the European Championships in April 2025. Her return in Lausanne marked her first appearance since becoming a mother for the second time on March 11, and she was warmly received each time she entered the tatami.

Agbégnénou, Olympic champion at Tokyo 2021, has set the 2028 Los Angeles Games as her final major objective. That tournament would be her fourth Olympic appearance.