Olympic Judo 2016: Medal Winners and Scores After Thursday's Results
The United States’ Kayla Harrison defended her 78-kilogram Olympic title in style on Thursday, beating France’s Audrey Tcheumeo in the gold-medal match.
Later in the day, Lukas Krpalek topped the men’s 100-kilogram category, adding this victory to his 2014 world championship and pair of European titles. The Czech saw off Azerbaijan's Elmar Gasimov to claim gold in Rio de Janeiro.
In the women’s event, Slovenia’s Anamari Velensek and Mayra Aguiar of Brazil picked up the two bronze medals. Japan's Ryunosuke Haga and Frenchman Cyrille Maret bagged bronze in the men's competition.
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Here is a recap of the best of the action from Carioca Arena 2, the results in full and a live look at the medal table.
| Kayla Harrison (USA) | Audrey Tcheumeo (FRA) | Mayra Aguiar (BRA) and Anamari Velensek (SLO) |
| Lukas Krpalek (CZE) | Elmar Gasimov (AZE) | Cyrille Maret (FRA) and Ryunosuke Haga (JPN) |
Harrison Makes History
Harrison made the final with minimal fuss. Velensek was always going to be a dangerous opponent in the semi, but the American locked in an armbar and subsequently clinched a spot in the final via submission after just 90 seconds.
Here’s a look at the decisive move, via USA Judo:
Tcheumeo sprung a big shock on her way to the gold-medal match. Backed by a home crowd, Aguiar, who won bronze in London four years ago, looked imperious on her way to the final stages. But the Frenchwoman ground out a win on penalties to book her spot in the final.
Needless to say, Aguiar’s defeat did not please the Brazilian crowd. However, ahead of the gold-medal match, she clinched her second bronze in as many Olympics, beating Yalennis Castillo.
Velensek was looking to bounce back in the second bronze-medal tussle, where she faced Luise Malzahn. She did exactly that, too, securing her opponent in a chokehold and forcing the stoppage. Although it was a conciliatory bronze, the achievement overwhelmed Velensek.
Fighting Films paid tribute to Malzahn's spirit:
The final was a dramatic affair. The early exchanges were nervy, as you’d anticipate given what was at stake. But as the contest went on, the American started to take control.
Then, with six seconds remaining, Harrison took Tcheumeo to the mat and won via submission. The Team USA Twitter feed delighted in her unprecedented achievement:
In the men’s event, having eliminated the defending Olympic champion, Tagir Khaibulaev, in the last-16, Gasimov was in excellent form.
The Azerbaijani motored through to the semi-finals, and from there he scored an ippon win over Artem Bloshenko of Ukraine. It set up what promised to be an intriguing showdown with pre-tournament favourite Krpalek for the gold medal, as the man from the Czech Republic pinned Maret for the win.
Maret recovered to win bronze by Osotogari against Karl-Richard Frey; Haga won the other following a Sangaku hold-down.
In the final, Krpalek's experience shone through. The 25-year-old was too savvy for Gasimov, eventually clinching his country's first judo medal at the Olympics. The European Judo Union relayed the magnitude of his recent achievements:
The Czech capitalised on some over-eagerness from Gasimov, countering into an ippon to finish the final. Having been his nation's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony, Krpalek is now the undoubted dominant force in this weight class.
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