After 2023 World champion Stevan Micic (Serbia) withdrew from the competition on 5 August due to injury, 2023 World runner-up Higuchi became the main contender for the gold medal. USA's Spencer Lee was the only one to spoil Higuchi's evening at the Champ-de-Mars Arena on 9 August, and their final bout was one to watch. 

The American started confidently and took a 2-0 lead in the first round. But Higuchi waited for his chance in the second and scored a takedown to take the lead. Lee's final attacks were dangerous, but the Japanese managed to fend off all of them and score two more points with a takedown in the final seconds.

Higuchi missed out on the 2021 Olympics but returned to the national team with a vengeance, becoming the 2022 World champion in the -61kg category and now Olympic gold medallist in Paris.

Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan and Aman Sehrawat of India took the bronze medals.

A year ago, everyone was predicting the next duel between USA's David Taylor and Yazdanichariati in the men's -86kg final. The two met in the final at Tokyo 2020 and Taylor won. The American then lost to his main rival at the 2021 World Championships, but went on to win gold at the next two. However, Aaron Brooks upset Taylor at the National Trials to claim his place in Team USA instead of Taylor.

The Taylor-Yazdani rivalry had now changed to Brooks-Yazdani, but there was another man with his own plans. Former Russian Ramazanov, who represented Bulgaria in 2024, defeated Brooks in the semi-final and then stunned Yazdani in the final. The score was 1-1, with Yazdani leading on criteria, when Ramazanov took Yazdani down and then scored four more points with a leg tie. The Bulgarian won 7-1 to take the gold medal, leaving Yazdani with silver.

Brooks defeated Uzbekistan's Javrail Shapiev for the bronze medal. Another former Russian, Dauren Kurugliev, won bronze for Greece, defeating Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Myles Amine of San Marino.

In the women's -57kg category, Japan's Tsugumi Sakurai met Anastasia Nichita of Moldova in a rematch of the 2023 World Championships final. Once again in Paris, Sakurai didn't give her opponent a chance, defeating her 6-0 to claim the gold medal.

It took 2016 champion and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Helen Maroulis just 30 seconds to win her bronze medal match against Canada's Hanna Taylor. Maroulis left her shoes on the mat after the win, announcing her retirement. China's Kexin Hong took the other bronze medal.

Semi-finals

The biggest upset of the day came in the semi-finals of the men's freestyle -74kg. This weight class is loaded with superstars and any one of them could have made the final. But Kyle Dake was the undisputed gold medal favourite and any result for the American would be a failure.

Japan's Daichi Takatani came close to beating Dake at the 2023 World Championships, but fell just short. This time he gave it his all and came out on top 20-12 in a thrilling semi-final.

In the clash of former Russians, Razambek Jamalov of Uzbekistan defeated Viktor Rassadin of Tajikistan to set up a meeting with Takatani in the final on 10 August.

There were no surprises in the men's - 125 kg category. The top three athletes advanced to the semi-finals. Reigning world champion and N1 gold medal contender Amir Zare defeated Rio 2016 gold medallist Taha Akgul from Turkey in a close fight. 

In the other semi-final, two-time Olympic silver medallist Geno Petriashvili of Georgia defeated his former teammate Giorgi Meshvildishvili, who now represents Azerbaijan, to set up a clash with Zare in the final.

Another big upset came in the women's -62kg category. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Iryna Koliadenko of Ukraine stunned reigning world champion and Tokyo 2020 runner-up Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan. Koliadenko will face 2023 World silver medallist Sakura Motoki of Japan, who beat the 2023 World bronze medallist Norway's Grace Bullen.