ABOUT THE SPORT: Combine the grappling style of wrestling with the mind games of martial arts, and you've got an idea what judo is.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published August 8, 2004
Founded in 1882 in Japan, judo is a self-defense technique in which opponents use quickness, balance and pressure to win.
Matches last five minutes for men and women, a change from previous Games when women's matches lasted four. A winner is decided by an ippon, the point needed to win, two waza-aris (half-points) or by a judges' decision based on who has the fewest penalties and most quality points.
To get the ippon, an athlete can throw - knock the opponent on his back - hold the opponent on his back for 25 seconds or make an opponent submit by getting him in an arm lock or choke.
AMERICA'S BEST: Jimmy Pedro came out of retirement to compete in his fourth Olympics. The 33-year-old lightweight, who earned a bronze medal in 1996 and placed fifth at Sydney before deciding to quit, will try to become the oldest judo gold medalist. The Americans' best shot at gold lies with 17-year-old Ronda Rousey, the youngest woman to be ranked No.1 nationally in the half-middleweight class. She is the daughter of AnnMaria (Burns) Rousey, the only U.S. woman to win the World Championships (1984).
WORLD'S BEST: Japan has dominated judo since it became an Olympic sport in 1964. After winning six titles at the 2003 World Championships, the Japanese are in position to do better than in Sydney, where they won four golds and eight medals total. Leading the country is extra lightweight Ryoko Tani (formerly Ryoko Tamura), who earned silver at her first two Games before winning gold in 2000. Many think she is in better shape than she was in Sydney. France won two golds in 2000 and is second in all-time medal standings with 32, 16 less than Japan. Cuba also does well and won two golds in the last Olympics.
