Wednesday, 23 July marked the debut of the judo competition at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games. A discipline based on the philosophy of maximizing efficiency and minimising effort, where a single, well-executed move can immediately end a bout, and sometimes secure a medal.
That’s exactly what happened on the day for Helen Habib, a German student-athlete competing in the women’s -48 kg category. Her final match against Türkiye’s Zilan Ertem was closely contested, but at the three-minute mark, Habib delivered a flawless ippon to clinch the victory and earn a bronze medal.
Shining on familiar ground
“It was amazing, like, I can’t believe it. It was such a nice support from my family, friends and all the others, from my club. I feel like my whole family was here, not only friends, but everyone, so it was really nice. And I think it gave me the last one percent,” said Habib, proud and emotional after reaching the podium in front of her home crowd.
The 20-year-old is truly at home in the Rhine-Ruhr region. She lives in Bottrop, just outside of Essen, and this proximity made this achievement even more special. “I’m living here, like, 40 minutes away, so that’s really amazing. And I think it’s such an honour,” said the physical education and sport student from the University of Cologne.
This isn’t her first time tasting success in front of a friendly audience this summer. In June, she won a gold medal at the Berlin Junior European Cup.
“I think the home crowd fits me well, so I think that’s really nice. I think it’s pushing myself. It was really nice, yeah,” she added, still moved by the experience.
One of the faces of Rhine-Ruhr 2025
Competing locally didn’t just give Habib the energy and confidence to claim a medal, it also made her the perfect choice as one of the ambassadors for these FISU Games.
“They (FISU) texted me because they were like, yeah, you’re from this region here. And they thought that I could also compete here and everything worked out. And then I was like, of course, I really love my region here,” she said proudly, aware of being the face of both her discipline and her region for this competition.
This isn’t even her first time in such a role as Habib had already served as an ambassador during the Ruhr Games in 2021.
“It’s good to have dreams”
“I think it’s amazing having a really big team and connecting with other teams and also other sports. And I think it’s so nice to have this feeling of a team and being so good, yeah,” said Habib, reflecting on the energy and spirit of the FISU Games.
For the young judoka, this competition is obviously an important milestone, but only one step in a much longer journey. Her ambitions go far beyond her region: she dreams of one day representing her country on the world’s biggest stage, the Olympics Games.
“That would be a dream, yeah. A long way to go, but, of course, a dream. And I think it’s good to have dreams.”
Japan’s Mizuki Harada went on to defeat Zhuang Wenna from the People’s Republic of China in the women’s -48 kg final, while the other bronze medal went to Laziza Haydarova of Uzbekistan.
Other gold medallists on the first day of judo at Messe Essen were Jang Seyun (women’s -52 kg) and Huh Mimi (women’s -57 kg) from the Republic of Korea, as well as Japan’s Yamato Fukuda (men’s -60 kg) and Kairi Kentoku (men’s -66 kg).
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Valentina Rasini, EU U-Media Ambassador, Italy
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.
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