Julia Figueroa steps away after a career shaped by grit and honesty

Julia Figueroa has announced her retirement from elite judo, closing a chapter that meant far more than results alone for Spanish and European judo. In the -48 kg category, she spent more than a decade competing at the highest level, building a reputation through persistence, resilience and a deep connection to the sport.

Her final appearance came at home, at the La Nucia/Benidorm European Open on 17 May. It was a meaningful setting for a last competition: familiar surroundings, a Spanish crowd and the chance to say goodbye on her own soil.

Her last elite event came in front of a home crowd in Spain.

Figueroa, known within the Spanish national team as “Mon”, leaves behind a career that combined major international results with unusual openness about the difficult side of elite sport. In an interview with Ian Saiz, she spoke candidly about how hard this ending has been, while also making clear that she is proud of the daily effort she gave throughout her journey.

That mindset runs through the biggest moments of her career. She competed at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and later qualified again, reaching the Games twice. For any judoka, that is a rare achievement, and for Figueroa it represented the fulfilment of a dream she had carried since childhood.

Her record also includes multiple IJF World Tour medals, podium finishes at the European Championships and European Games, a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships and a Masters bronze medal in 2016. Those results placed her among the top athletes in her category and made her one of Spain’s most recognisable names on the international circuit.

Still, the most striking part of her farewell is not the medal list. It is the honesty. Figueroa spoke openly about injuries, setbacks and the frustration of seeing her path shaped by things outside her control, especially after the end of Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. Even then, she described herself in one word: tenacious.

She called herself tenacious, and her career backed it up.

That feels like the key to understanding what she gave to the sport. Figueroa did not present herself as a natural phenomenon. Instead, she stressed hard work, discipline and the decision to keep going, even when the road became painful or uncertain.

That message matters, especially for younger athletes. Her story is not built on easy success. It is built on effort, setbacks and the refusal to step away from the challenge before giving everything.

As she leaves elite competition, Spanish judo says goodbye to an athlete who brought both results and authenticity. European judo loses a familiar presence, but her example remains: chase what matters, work for it every day and make sure there is nothing left unsaid on the tatami.

Not every legacy is measured only in medals.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union