(BEIJING, August 14) -- With two Women's Judo gold medals already secured in Beijing, the host country sends out another favored judoka to do battle in the Women's +78kg weightclass. Meanwhile, the Athens silver and bronze medalists in the Men's +100kg will be fighting for the podium again and with Athens champion Suzuki Keiji of Japan electing to compete in a lower weightclass, the Heavyweight title is up for grabs.
Women's +78kg
Tsukada Maki of Japan is the reigning gold medalist from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Tsukada has struggled at recent events in this category and will need to be at her peak after twice finishing behind China's heavyweight hope, Tong Wen, coming second at the 2007 world championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and third at the 2005 world championships in Cairo, Egypt.
Tong has had two first-places finishes in 2008 -- at the World Cup in Budapest and the Super World Cup in Paris. Judo spectators have shown great enthusiasm in six days of competition in Beijing and will no doubt be hoping that their cheers will lead to yet another Chinese champion.
Tea Donguzashvili of Russia has already tasted Olympic victory by winning a bronze medal in Athens. Recently, Donguzashili won silver at the European Championships in Lisbon, going down to Anne-Sophie Mondiere of France, who will also be competing in Beijing.
Men's +100kg
Tamerlan Tmenov of Russia enters his third Olympic Games as the reigning silver medalist. He earned bronze at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and will want to finish off his Olympic medals collection with a gold medal. The 31-year-old from St. Petersburg has dominated the heavyweight division in Europe, winning the title, which he currently holds, seven times. So far in 2008 he has won 10 times in 14 international matches
Nineteen-year-old Teddy Riner of France poses a serious threat to the experienced Russian. Riner beat Tmenov in the final of the 2007 World Championships to become the youngest ever world champion in Men's Judo. The Frenchman has 11 victories in 13 matches this year. Beijing will be Riner's first Olympic Games.
Japan's hope of keeping the Olympic gold in the country of the sport's birth rests on the shoulders of 21-year-old Ishii Satoshi. The Japanese has won all five matches he contested this year and defeated reigning Olympic champion Suzuki at the Japanese Championships to grab his spot on the team. He is the 2006 Asian Games silver medalist. Ishii has never competed at the world championships and will be competing at his first Olympic Games.
Dennis van der Geest of the Netherlands is the defending Olympic bronze medalist from Athens and an experienced competitor at 33 years old. He placed second at the World Cup in Madrid in June, but finished off the podium in his other three World and Super World Cup events this year.
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