BLAS TIPS SCALES AT 218KG: Judo fans were treated to a rare sight at the Olympic competition when Ricardo Blas, of Guam, took to the mat in the men’s heavyweight competition. Blas had tipped the scales at 218kg in the morning weigh-in, making him almost certainly the heaviest athlete at the Games. His first-round opponent Facinet Keita, of Guinea, weighed in at a massive 135kg but was dwarfed by Blas who won the fight by a maximum ippon. Blas could not continue his run for long though, beaten by Cuba’s Oscar Brayson who weighed just 108kg.
OH’S ARCHERY GLORY: Oh Jin-hyek won South Korea’s first men’s Olympic individual archery gold yesterday after beating Takaharu Furu-kawa, of Japan, in the final at Lord’s. Oh had survived a nerve-wracking single arrow shoot-off against China’s Dai Xiaoxiang to reach the final but left nothing to chance against the Japanese, closing out the victory in four sets. Dai beat Rick van der Ven, of the Nether-lands, to win the bronze, earning China their first men’s individual medal.
GATECRASHER’S APOLOGY: An Indian woman who gatecrashed the procession of India’s athletes at the opening ceremony has apologised for an “error of judgement” that prompted a wave of criticism. Madhura Nagendra was the subject of an official protest from India’s NOC after she appeared, smiling and walking next to India’s flag-bearer. The 27-year-old, who was one of 7,500 volunteers, said she had become over-excited and spontaneously joined in the parade. “I understand that I’ve hurt people’s feelings. From my heart, I regret it,” she said.
MOLDOVANS FAIL DRUG TESTS: A Moldovan athlete due to take part in the women’s hammer at the London Olympics has been dropped from the squad after failing a dope test. Moldovan NOC chief Nikolai Zhuravsky told reporters that Marina Marghieva and discus thrower Natalia Artyk, who was not to compete in London, had been sidelined.
RINER DOMINATES JUDO MAT: France’s Teddy Riner won the men’s Olympic heavyweight judo title yesterday to deafening roars from a huge French contingent in the crowd, cementing his status as the best judoka in the world. He comfortably beat Russian opponent Alexander Mikhaylin in the final after proving far superior to the rest of the opposition throughout. The gold medal adds to the 23-year-old’s five individual world championship titles. The experienced German judoka Andreas Toelzer beat Ihar Makarau, of Belarus, to take bronze.
LIFTER CLAIMS DRAMATIC GOLD: Svetlana Podobedova won Kazakhstan’s third weightlifting gold of the London Olympic Games yesterday after an epic battle with Russia’s Natalya Zabolotnaya in a head-to-head so close that the medals were decided by the athletes’ bodyweight in the end. Podobedova’s total of 291 kilogrammes, sealed with the last lift of the competition, put her level with Zabolotnaya but because the Kazakh lifter weighed in with a bodyweight 220 grams lower she was awarded the gold. The 291-kilogramme total was a new Olympic record. The bronze medal went to Belarusian Iryna Kulesha.