London Olympics: U.S. Wins First Judo Gold Medal

02/08/2012

LONDON:The U.S. won its first ever gold medal in Olympic judo, with Kayla Harrison defeating Britain's Gemma Gibbons in the women's 78-kilogram tournament Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russia's recent dominance of the sport continued. With President Vladimir Putin in the audience, Tagir Khaibulaev won gold in the men's 100-kilogram group. It was Russia's third gold medal in judo this week and fourth overall medal in the sport at the London Olympics.Harrison, a 22-year-old Ohio native, had a dominant day on the mats. She didn't appear to struggle against a single opponent, even vanquishing a Russian judoka in barely 30 seconds. Not until she won her semifinal bout against Brazil's Mayra Aguiar did she even crack a smile.

The final match, against Britain's Gibbons, was unprecedented. Neither the U.S. nor Britain had ever won gold in the sport, and Gibbons had a boisterous home crowd chanting her name and stomping on the aluminum bleachers. British Prime Minister David Cameron was in the crowd, sitting next to Putin.

But Harrison dominated the match. She scored two clean takedowns and nearly a third. Gibbons was left gasping.

Khaibulaev's dismantling of his Mongolian opponent was equally emphatic, ending with a match-winning body slam. Putin, sitting about 10 yards from the mat and having shed his jacket, leapt to his feet and thrust his fists into the air. He then posed for pictures with the jubilant team, patting Khaibulaev on the head.

Putin is a judo black belt and enthusiastic booster of the sport in his country, embracing it as a way to boost his image as a macho leader. As president and prime minister, Putin has made photo-op appearances with Russia's judo team and once, in 2010, donned his judo outfit to spar with a few of them. He held his own on the mat and even volunteered to join the team.

Russian judo's renaissance is largely thanks to the 2008 hiring of Ezio Gamba, a onetime judo gold medalist for Italy, to coach the men's team. Past and present Russian judoka credit Gamba with revitalizing their program.

The three golds they have collected in judo—with one day of competition still to come—are the only golds Russia has won in London. They are the first judo golds Russia has collected since the country started competing independently following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Russian judoka said Putin's presence at London's Excel convention center on Thursday would help them.

"We are very pleased…to give some pleasant moments to him," Mansur Isaev, who won gold on Monday in the men's 73-kilogram event, said in an interview Thursday after cheering on Khaibulaev in his quarterfinal match. Knowing Putin is watching closely "has given us a stimulus to perform," said Isaev, dressed in his red-and-white Russian team track suit.