Sport - Judo

Dumitru, Choi delight on way to gold

BEIJING: Romania’s Alina Dumitru won the first gold medal in the Olympic judo competition Saturday, stunning Japanese double gold medalist Ryoko Tani in the 48-kilogram class semifinal and then flipping Cuba’s Yanet Bermoy to the mat in the final.

South Korea’s Min-ho Choi, who won bronze in Athens, threw all of his opponents to win the men’s 60-kilogram division.

Tani, who hadn’t been beaten in a major international competition since the Atlanta Games in 1996, saw her hopes of a third-straight gold evaporate when judges awarded penalties to Dumitru after both failed to show much aggression.

Looking stunned, Tani fought desperately after the final penalty call, but with only seconds left had no time to mount an attack.

She defeated Russia’s Lyudmila Bogdanova for bronze.

An underdog, Choi completely dominated his competition and defeated Paischer, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, just seconds into their final match.

Tani, a seven-time world champion, was the surprise of the day. In the semifinals, Tani and Dumitru, who was fifth in Athens but has won four consecutive European titles, took cautions for being too defensive, then Dumitru went ahead on another penalty call.

Tani was battling to become the first woman to win three consecutive judo golds. Compatriot Tadahiro Nomura won three golds in men’s, but didn’t make the team this year because of an injury.

Silver medallist Bermoy, who won the 2005 world championship when Tani sat it out to have a baby, was making her Olympic debut. She had lost only four bouts this year.

Paischer, who had been the men’s favourite, easily cruised into the second round after a first match “ippon” throw, setting up an early showdown with Britain’s Craig Fallon, the 2005 world champion.

Fallon defeated Paischer on his home turf for the 2008 Vienna World Cup title, but Paischer got his revenge on Beijing’s mats by beating Fallon — who had blood dripping off his face — with two koka points.

“I knew it was going to be a tough one, we know each other well,” Fallon said. “He’s had a good day and I really haven’t felt up to it.”

The bronzes went to Uzbekistan’s Rishod Sobirov and Ruben Houkes of the Netherlands. — AP

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