Fabio Basile (ITA), who has not competed since early 2024, will be returning to the tatami at the Tokyo Grand Slam in December. 
Basile had made a huge splash in 2016, coming out of nowhere to suddenly become Olympic Champion at -66kg. But other than an appearance at the Tokyo Grand Slam in December that year, where he lost his first match, Basile basically took a year off where he made TV appearances and became a celebrity.
He returned to competition in August 2017, almost exactly a year after his surprise Olympic victory. The competition he chose for his comeback was not a small one but rather, it was the World Championships. But he lost in the second round. Ironically it was to An Baul, the South Korean player he had defeated by ippon in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Basile then decided to move up a weight class to -73kg but he didn't have much success there. As a -73kg player, he did not win any European Championship or World Championship medals of any color. From Oct 2017 to July 2022, he managed to win two IJF World Tour events but that was it.
By February 2023, Basile decided to move back down to -66kg, probably to avoid a clash with his teammate Manuel Lombardo, who had moved up to -73kg. But as a -66kg player, Basile didn't have much success either, winning only one IJF World Tour bronze medal until his apparent retirement after losing in the first round of the 2024 Paris Grand Slam.
Now, Basile's making a comeback and it will be in the 73kg weight class. Will he be able to give a better showing this time around? We shall see but it's worth noting that Lombardo will be competing in the same weight class in Tokyo.
