World champion Lee Won-hee of South Korea added an Olympic judo crown to his trophy cabinet yesterday, dedicating his win to his cancer-stricken grandfather.
“I really wanted to win the gold medal for my grandfather, who is 60 this year and is fighting against stomach cancer,” Lee told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency after beating Russia’s Vitaliy Makarov in the final of the men’s under-73 kg category.
“I’m thankful to my father and mother, who prayed for me.”
But in a major upset at the women’s competition, Germany’s Yvonne Boenisch turned the tables on North Korea’s 1996 Olympic champion Kye Sun-hui to win the women’s under-57 kg division and earn Germany’s first gold medal of the Games.
Lee, dubbed “Mr Ippon”, was in a class of his own as he beat two previous world champions on his way to the gold. Double European champion Gennadiy Bilodid of Ukraine was his other victim.
The South Korean has lost only once in the last two years, dispatching most opponents for the maximum ippon score - a technical knockout - earning him his nickname.
Even Makarov, world champion in 2001, could not stop the inevitable despite a controlled performance as he too was thrown for ippon with seconds remaining.
World junior champion Leandro Guilheiro of Brazil came back from a quarterfinal defeat to beat Moldova’s Victor Bivol for one of the bronze medals.
American Jimmy Pedro, world champion from 1999, turned back the years to win his second Olympic bronze after France’s Daniel Fernandes submitted while being held down.
Pedro, 33, had retired after a disappointing Sydney Olympics four years ago.
“I have had the most enjoyable two years of my life,” said Pedro. “Today was just incredible, it was the icing on the cake and the perfect end to a fantastic career.”
Boenisch proved a surprise after being well beaten, by ippon, a year ago by Kye in the world final.
The German had learned valuable lessons from that defeat and made Kye’s task impossible by never giving her the time or breathing space to settle into the fight, eventually winning by a small score from a robust hip throw.
“Of course it is a very special time for my country,” said Boenisch, 23. “It was quite scary as I was not sure at all that I would win, but I did.”
Kye was delighted with the support of a band of South Korean spectators, who cheered for her throughout the final.
“I thank those people from South Korea. We are the same people and they supported me,” she said. “I think Korea will be united again one day and that is the hope of all Korean people.”
In an all-European affair for one bronze, Deborah Gravenstijn of the Netherlands came from behind to beat France’s Barbara Harel.
Cuba’s former world champion Yurisleidis Lupetey beat 2000 Olympic champion Isabel Fernandez of Spain in a scrappy encounter to win the other bronze medal.
