Rio 2016: US Olympics Judo Player Kayla Harrison Brings Home The Gold
The Judo Player Kayla Harrison from United States took the gold in Rio Olympics 2016.
Harrison, a 26-year old Judo Player, is now a commodity armed with charisma and star power. After the Olympics, the judo player considers a career change particularly moving to MMA Fighting.
"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. But I know I'm very fortunate. I have a good team around me - my coaches, my manager, my agent. They'll have my best interest in heart, so I trust them, and they're gonna advise me in the right direction, and we'll see what happens," Harrison said.
Since Kayla was 6 years old, she started showing interest in Judo. At the age of 13, she was introduced to coach Daniel Doyle. Three years later, a sad news happened to Harrison when she told her fellow judokan, Aaron Handy, that Coach Doyle was abusing her sexually.
In her interview with The Telegraph before the London Olympics, Harrison explained:
"I was young, terrified but really didn't understand. Even at an early age, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to please people. My world revolved around Daniel. He was my sun. All I wanted to do was please him. Unfortunately, he took advantage of that. During those years I was an emotional wreck, severely depressed, suicidal. I hated my life. Finally, it got to the point where I couldn't take it any more."
However, everything was possible for Harrison. On Thursday night, She made history when she won her second gold medal.
"I'm happy, I'm retiring. Two-time Olympic champion. That's it." Harrison said moments after defeating Audrey Tcheumeo (ranked 2) of France in the gold medal round of the 78-kilogram weight class.
The retirement of Harrison is only for Judo. She is planning to do training in the Mixed Martial Arts division following the footsteps of her former sparring partner Ronda Rousey.
Three of her bouts lasted in less than two minutes. She finished the championship by getting Tcheumeo in an armlock, flipping her over and forcing her to tap out with six seconds left.
After the match, She embraced her coach, Jimmy Pedro who said that US has produced such a champion compared to traditional powerhouses like Russia. And she enjoyed the moment of her life when she made history in Judo.