LONDON, Aug 2: Kayla Harrison made history by winning the first ever Olympic gold medal in judo for the United States as she claimed the women’s under-78kg title here on Thursday.

The 2010 world champion beat shock finalist Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain by a pair of minimum yuko scores.

Harrison dominated the final from the start, getting a stronger grip on Gibbons and managing to throw her twice.

World champion Audrey Tcheumeo of France bounced back from losing her semi-final to Gibbons to snatch bronze in defeating Hungary’s Abigel Joo by ippon with an ura-nage (rear throw).

Brazil’s Mayra Aguilar beat 2009 world champion Marhinde Verkerk of the Netherlands with a kosoto-gari (minor outer reap) for the second bronze.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Tagir Khaibulaev beat the defending champion Tuvshinbayar Naidan of Mongolia to win the men’s under-100kg judo title.

Fighting in front of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Khaibulaev claimed his country’s third gold medal of the judo competition with an unstoppable seoi-nage (shoulder throw).

Dutchman Henk Grol and German Dimitri Peters won the two bronze medals, beating Uzbek Ramziddin Sayidov and Hwang Hee-Tae of South Korea respectively.—Agencies