For the first time in U.S. Olympic history, an American judoka has claimed a gold medal.
Kayla Harrison, a native of Middletown, Ohio, made history on Thursday when she defeated Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain to win the gold medal in the women's 78-kilogram tournament. Before this year, judo was one of nine Olympic sports in which the U.S. had never won a gold medal (men's or women's).
Harrison earned her spot in the finals with a commanding semifinal victory over Mayra Aguiar of Brazil, who submitted to a Harrison armbar. That put her in the finals against Gibbons, an upstart who made the most of her opportunity on home soil, defeating Audrey Tcheumo of France.
Gibbons put up a game effort against Harrison, avoiding any major throws, but Harrison was able to secure two minor throws, earning one point for each on a yuko. The first, a tsuri goshi hip throw, came a minute into the bout. The second, a kubi nage throw, came with just over a minute remaining in the bout, and Gibbons was unable to threaten.
In the men's 100-kg final, Tagir Khaibulaev continued a strong showing for Russia in judo when he defeated Mongolia's Naidan Tuvshinbayar to win gold. Khaibulaev, who was projected to win the silver medal in Sports Illustrated's Olympic preview, scored a rare ippon throw when he surprised Tuvshinbayar with a seoi otoshi (shoulder drop), landing the Mongolian forcefully on his back to secure the full point and the gold medal.
