Russia’s Khaibulaev delights Putin with gold
Story Dated: Thursday, August 2, 2012 21:53 hrs IST
|
|
Russia’s Tagir Khaibulaev celebrates defeating Czech Republic’s Lukas Krpalek (white) in their men’s -100kg quarter-final judo match.
|
|
London: Tagir Khaibulaev won Russia's third judo gold medal in London in the men's -100kg on Thursday, thrilling watching Russian President Vladimir Putin who leapt from his seat with his arms raised in celebration.
The world champion, 28, who has not lost an international match since August last year, defeated the champion of four years ago, Mongolia's Tuvshinbayar Naidan.
Khaibulaev only reached the final after a tight contest with Germany's Dimitri Peters was decided by judges after it finished scoreless.
Henk Grol of the Netherlands beat 34-year-old South Korean Hwang Hee-Tae to win a bronze to add to the one he got in Beijing in 2008, delighting a huge Dutch contingent in the crowd.
Germany's Peters, 28, took the other bronze beating Uzbek Ramziddin Sayidov, the reigning Asian champion.
