Alina Dumitru (; born 30 August 1982) is a Romanian

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

, one-time Olympic champion and eight-time European champion. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

she defeated Japanese double gold medallist

Ryoko Tani is a retired Japanese female judoka and a politician. Competing in the extra-lightweight (48 kg) class, she won a record seven world titles and five Olympic medals including two golds at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. After her retirement, ...

, who until then had been undefeated in major international competitions for 12 years.

Career

2008 Summer Olympics

Dumitru defeated the legendary five-time Olympian

by " keikoku" in a shocking –48 kg semifinal upset at the

Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium The Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium () is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing. The venue covers an area of 2.38 hectares and the total floor space of construction reaches 2 ...

. She controlled the five-minute showdown, maintaining her position with strong defense, refusing to budge or give her experienced foe a chance to mount a strong attack. It worked, as Tani lost points for passivity. Then she flipped Cuba's

Yanet Bermoy Yanet Bermoy Acosta (born 29 May 1987, in Cienfuegos) is a Cuban judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全� ...

becoming the first Romanian judoka to win a gold medal in the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

2012 Summer Olympics

She took part in the Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics but lost in the final against

Sarah Menezes Sarah Gabrielle Cabral de Menezes (born March 26, 1990) is a judoka from Brazil. In Judo at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 48 kg, 2012, she became the first Brazilian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in judo, after defeating the reigning ...

. In the semifinals, Dumitru beat world number one

Tomoko Fukumi is a Japanese judoka from Tsukuba University. Fukumi is a 4th dan (rank), dan in judo. She is the only judoka to have beaten Ryoko Tani twice. Later she won the gold medal in the extra-lightweight (-48 kg) division at the 2009 World Judo C ...

Awards

Alina Dumitru was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, with Medalia "Meritul Sportiv" — (The Medal "The Sportive Merit") class III. She was given the award of ''Cetățean de onoare'' (" Honorary Citizen") of her hometown Ploiești in 2008.

References

External links

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Videos of Alina Alexandra Dumitru
(judovision.org) 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Bucharest Romanian female judoka Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 2008 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic judoka of Romania Olympic gold medalists for Romania Olympic medalists in judo Olympic silver medalists for Romania Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics 20th-century Romanian women 21st-century Romanian women {{Romania-Olympic-medalist-stub