Judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 72 kg

These are the results of the Women's 72 kg (also known as Half-Heavyweight) competition in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 20 women competed in this event, limited to jūdōka whose body weight was less than, or equal to, 72 kilograms. Competition took place in the Georgia World Congress Center.

Main bracket
The gold and silver medalists were determined by the final match of the main single-elimination bracket.

Repechage
The losing semifinalists as well as those judoka eliminated in earlier rounds by the four semifinalists of the main bracket advanced to the repechage. These matches determined the two bronze medalists for the event.