LONDON -- After Marti Malloy reached the semifinals of the women's judo competition, the San Jose judoka ended up losing later on Monday to Corina Caprioriu of Romania, but will still return to Silicon Valley with an Olympic medal.
She is the first American to win a medal in this sport.
Malloy had previously knocked out the No. 2 seed at the Olympic judo competition: Second-ranked Portuguese fighter Telma Monteiro. In that battle, Malloy had fought off Monteiro's aggressive attempts to grip her uniform and repeatedly tried to throw Monteiro. The fight went into overtime, when Malloy swept Monteiro's foot to make the winning throw. She also managed to beat Italy's Giulia Quintavalle, and won a bronze medal.
Malloy, a graduate of San Jose State University who hails from a family of judo afficianados, won her next two bouts, one with a match-ending ippon and the other by unanimous judges' decision.
To see an earlier NBC Bay Area report on Marti Malloy, click here.
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