Heavyweight (>78 kilograms), Women

China’s Tong Wen was the defending champion and had won four World titles since Beijing, held seven in all, and was an overwhelming favorite in this class. She had overcome a doping violation in 2010, which was overturned on appeal. In the semi-finals Tong was defeated by Cuba’s Idalys Ortíz, twice a bronze medalist at the Worlds and at the 2008 Olympics, as Tong lost for the first time since February 2007. In the other half of the draw Japan’s Mika Sugimoto, bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships, won her first two matches by ippon, and then advanced to the final with a win by yuko over Great Britain’s Karina Bryant.

The final was a scoreless affair, both through regulation and in extra-time, but Ortíz was given the victory by hantei with a unanimous judges’ decision. The only exciting thing in the final was Ortíz’s red-blue-white hairdo. Bryant and Tong won the two bronze medals.