Olympic champion Yeldos Smetov reveals date for comeback
Legendary Kazakh judoka Yeldos Smetov, who has been out of competition since summer 2024, has confirmed that he will continue his athletic career, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The 33-year-old judoka boasts a complete collection of Olympic medals, achieved over eight years—from 2016 to 2024—even with the four-year Olympic cycle. After taking gold in Paris 2024, he stated he had no plans to retire, though he stepped away temporarily to recover and work on his English.
In a recent November interview with the Almaty Sports Department, Smetov confirmed that his plans remain unchanged.
“I am currently undergoing a recovery program following surgery and expect to return to training soon, around December, with full training resuming in 2026,” Smetov said.
It is worth noting that in the summer of 2025, Smetov underwent shoulder surgery to address the lingering effects of an old injury. In 2024, he was also nominated for the IJF Judo Awards in the “Best Male Judoka of the Year” category, but the title went to Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan.
