Judo at the 2012 London Summer Games:

Uzbeki Rishod Sobirov had won the last two World Championships after winning a bronze at the 2008 Olympics, and was favored. In the semi-finals he faced Russian Arsen Galstyan, who defeated Sobirov in the golden score period. The other half of the draw saw Japan’s Hiroaki Hiraoka defeat Sofiane Milous (FRA) by a judges’ decision in the quarter-finals, and then win in the semis by ippon over Italy’s Elio Verde. This matched up Galstyan and Hiroaki in the final, but it did not last long, as Galstyan won by ippon in only 41 seconds. In the bronze medal match-ups, Sobirov won his second consecutive bronze medal by defeating Milous, while Verde lost to Brazil’s Felipe Kitadai.