Japanese Judokas win gold at Rio Olympics
Dushanbe, 11.08.2016. /NIAT “Khovar”/. Haruka Tachimoto and Mashu Baker struck double gold medals for Japan by winning women’s 70kg and men’s 90kg judo competition at the Rio Olympic Games here on Wednesday.
Tachimoto looked strong from the beginning in the women’s 70kg. Two minutes into the final, she threw three-time world champion Yuri Alvear of Colombia for yuko and held her down to score ippon and hand Japan gold medal, — Xinhua reports.
Sally Conway from Britain and Laura Vargaskoch from Germany took the bronze medals.
In the men’s 90kg, Baker and European champion Varlam Liparteuani from Georgia looked evenly matched in the beginning of the final, but then the Japanese Mashu Baker scored a yuko halfway through the match and managed to hold on to the lead.
China’s Cheng Xunzhao gained a bronze medal, becoming the first Chinese male judoka to win an Olympic medal. Another bronze medal went to Gwak Donghan of South Korea.