Beatriz Souza

Beatriz Rodrigues de Souza is a Brazilian judoka. She represented Brazil at the 2024 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal in the Women's +78 kg competition.

Early life

Souza was born on 20 May 1998 in Itariri, São Paulo, daughter of the military veteran and ex-judoka Poscedonio José de Souza Neto. She was raised in the coastal town of Peruíbe.

Career

Her first medal was at the 2017 Pan American Championships, held in Panama City.
Souza won a medal at the 2019 World Judo Championships.
Souza won the silver medal in her event at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv held in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In the 2024 Summer Olympics, she defeated Raz Hershko, winning Brazil's first gold medal in the Women's over 78 kg category, with Sarah Menezes as her coach, becoming the first ever woman athlete from the Esporte Clube Pinheiros club to be crowned champion in all Olympic Games history.