LONDON (Reuters) – Judoka Kaori Matsumoto won Japan’s first gold of the London Games on Monday, confessing she had been forced to give up eating ice cream to become champion.

Matsumoto, 24, the world number one, who had been fast, aggressive and determined throughout the tournament, won the final of the women’s -57kg category when Corina Caprioriu of Romania was penalized for a leg grab.

LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) – Judoka Kaori Matsumoto won
Japan’s first gold of the London Games on Monday, confessing she
had been forced to give up eating ice cream to become champion.

Matsumoto, 24, the world number one, who had been fast,
aggressive and determined throughout the tournament, won the
final of the women’s -57kg category when Corina Caprioriu of
Romania was penalised for a leg grab.

LONDON (Reuters) – Georgia’s Lasha Shavdatuashvili, the youngest competitor in the event, grabbed Olympic gold in the men’s -66kg judo category on Sunday in a tournament spiced with shock results and an extraordinary refereeing volte-face.

The unheralded 20-year-old, the world number 32, defeated Hungary’s Miklos Ungvari, 31, in the final to send a small but incredibly noisy group of fans from his homeland wild as he secured Georgia’s third ever judo gold.

LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) – Georgia’s Lasha Shavdatuashvili,
the youngest competitor in the event, grabbed Olympic gold in
the men’s -66kg judo category on Sunday in a tournament spiced
with shock results and an extraordinary refereeing volte-face.

The unheralded 20-year-old, the world number 32, defeated
Hungary’s Miklos Ungvari, 31, in the final to send a small but
incredibly noisy group of fans from his homeland wild as he
secured Georgia’s third ever judo gold.

LONDON (Reuters) – Brazil’s Sarah Menezes, who had to sneak off to training as a child because her parents disapproved of judo, was toasting an Olympic gold medal on Saturday and a life-changing future.

After defeating reigning Olympic champion Alina Dumitru of Romania in the women’s -48kg category on Saturday, a beaming Menezes said it would take time for her win to sink in.

LONDON (Reuters) – Arsen Galstyan became Russia’s first Olympic judo winner since the collapse of the former Soviet Union and dedicated his gold medal to those affected by recent floods in his homeland.

“I feel absolutely wonderful,” said Galstyan, 23, who stunned firm favorite and world number one Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan on his way to victory.

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) – Brazil’s Sarah Menezes, who had
to sneak off to training as a child because her parents
disapproved of judo, was toasting an Olympic gold medal on
Saturday and a life-changing future.

After defeating reigning Olympic champion Alina Dumitru of
Romania in the women’s -48kg category on Saturday, a beaming
Menezes said it would take time for her win to sink in.

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) – Arsen Galstyan became Russia’s
first Olympic judo winner since the collapse of the former
Soviet Union and dedicated his gold medal to those affected by
recent floods in his homeland.

“I feel absolutely wonderful,” said Galstyan, 23, who
stunned firm favourite and world number one Rishod Sobirov of
Uzbekistan on his way to victory.

LONDON (Reuters) – A group of British Islamists called off a protest planned for outside the London Olympic Park on Friday and organizers said police had told them not to go ahead.

The group, led by some of Britain’s most prominent Islamist figures, had intended to gather outside the gates to the park ahead of the opening ceremony to denounce what they called the evil of the Games.

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) – A group of British Islamists
called off a protest planned for outside the London Olympic Park
on Friday and organisers said police had told them not to go
ahead.

The group, led by some of Britain’s most prominent Islamist
figures, had intended to gather outside the gates to the park
ahead of the opening ceremony to denounce what they called the
evil of the Games.