USA Judo experienced another major moment at the 2016 Summer Olympics when Kayla Harrison won her second gold medal. She became the first American to win a gold medal in the sport back in 2012 and on Thursday she became a repeat champion.
Harrison defeated Audrey Tcheumeo of France to defend her crown at 78 kilos (172 pounds). Harrison was ahead on penalties with seven seconds remaining when she secured the victory using an armbar (ippon).
Harrison’s run to her second gold medal has been impressive. She defeated every opponent with some sort of finish; dominating the competition. With this performance, she made it official that she’s stepping away from the sport at 26 years of age and will not compete when the Olympics travel to Tokyo, Japan in 2020. After the victory she brought up the potential of following Ronda Rousey into the world of mixed martial arts.
“I know you all wanna know if I’m gonna do MMA or not, but tonight I’m just gonna live in the moment, be an Olympic champion, and tomorrow I’ll decide what my future holds. Maybe a month for now [laughs],” Harrison said after the match Thursday. Before the games started, Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported that the Olympic champion was considering the change in sport.
“Obviously, MMA is something that I’m considering,” Harrison said in the report by Cruz. “It could potentially be a very lucrative career for me, but at this point, my focus is just on the tournament on August 11. Then, maybe a beach somewhere here in Rio for a couple of days, and then I’ll make some big decisions.”
Harrison’s victory establishes herself as the most prominent Judoka that USA Judo has ever brought to the games. If she made the jump to MMA, she would immediately be the most successful Olympian to ever join that sport. While no decisions are being made right at this moment, the potential of her making the move to MMA creates a high level of intrigue for fans.