Inna Cherniak

Inna Cherniak has enjoyed nothing but success since moving down to the women’s up to 52kg from the up to 57kg.

Most recently, the Ukrainian took the 2018 World Championships title in Odivelas, Portugal, after landing Germany’s Ramona Brussig on her back for ippon in the final.

Some months before, she had topped the podium at the 2018 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. It was her second time competing in the new category at a major competition. The first one was at the 2017 Grand Prix in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where she took gold.

One year before, Cherniak competed in the up to 57kg at her maiden Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And she proved to be up to the challenge. She sealed gold in the women’s up to 57kg in the face of loud support for Lucia Araujo, her Brazilian rival in the final.

In the semi-finals, the Ukrainian took revenge on South Korea’s Ha Na Seo, to whom she had lost in the 2015 IBSA World Games and Judo World Championships’ final.

Cherniak won the European title in 2015 and also took gold at the first European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

She was crowned world champion in 2014 in Colorado Springs, USA, beating Azerbaijan’s Sabina Abdullayeva to the gold.