RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — American Kayla Harrison has successfully defended her Olympic judo title in the women’s 78-kilogram division, after beating France’s Audrey Tcheumeo in a tense final.
With just six seconds left, Harrison caught Tcheumeo’s arm in an armlock, and forced Tcheumeo to tap out in submission, automatically winning the contest.
Harrison’s coach, Jimmy Pedro, said Harrison’s achievement was enormous, given that there have been no repeat Olympic judo champions at Rio or at the previous games in London. Harrison was in commanding form throughout Thursday, winning her preliminary matches automatically after pinning her opponents down to the mat for 20 seconds; her first match lasted just 43 seconds.
Pedro said Harrison was “on fire” on Thursday and described her defense of her Olympic title as “epic.”