That was the title, the history, the legacy Kayla Harrison fought for Thursday afternoon. That was why she returned to the Olympic stage four years after she became the first United States judo gold medalist at the London Games. That was why she persevered after major reconstructive knee surgery and other injuries. That was why she let coach Jimmy Pedro push her harder than ever while training in Wakefield, Mass. That was why she dominated the women’s 78-kilogram tournament en route to her second gold medal.


Harrison retires from judo as not only one of the greatest America has seen in her sport, but Pedro said, “she’s stamped her legacy as one of the greatest judo players of all time.”

As soon as Harrison clinched the gold, she jumped into the arms of Pedro for a long, emotional hug. All day Pedro had told Harrison, “It’s Kayla time. Two-time Olympic champion,” motivating her for each successive round. It was also how Pedro greeted Harrison when they embraced after the final.

“He was screaming, ‘Two-time Olympic champ’ and I was kind of like, ‘Is this my life? Is this real right now?’ ” said Harrison of the celebration. “I can’t believe that this moment has happened. I’ve dreamt about it for a long, long time. It’s really hard to repeat as Olympic champion. It’s probably one of the hardest things you can do, especially from the United States in a sport like judo. We don’t have the bodies. We don’t have the funding.

“It was almost impossible, but my coaches made me fight in every tournament. They made me fight when I was exhausted, when I was injured, when I was sick. They made it so that I worked too hard to give this up to anybody.”


Harrison won all four of her Olympic bouts by ippon, a match-ending move equivalent to a knockout in boxing or a pin in wrestling. In the final, she took down Audrey Tcheumeo of France at Carioca Arena 2, scoring the ippon with six seconds remaining.

Harrison is the first female judo competitor outside Asia to successfully defend her Olympic title and the fifth overall since women’s judo became an Olympic sport at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Harrison also is the first American judoka to win medals in consecutive Olympics. The only other American to win two Olympic medals is her coach, Pedro. He won bronze in 1996 and 2004.

“As a coach, what you try to do is make your athletes surpass what you’ve done,” said Pedro. “To me, that’s creating a legacy. She’s the most dominant female on the planet. The circuit is so much harder now; there are so many more tournaments and Kayla went to all of them. And she has the most medals out of any athlete over the last four years.”

When Harrison stood for the Star-Spangled banner in London, she memorably cried on the podium. In Rio, she managed to hold back tears, but the victory was no less meaningful. Of the time between the two Games, Harrison said “it was probably the longest four years of my life” as she fought with a separated shoulder, fever, knee pain, and hand pain. The worst of it was major reconstructive knee surgery that threatened her career and kept Harrison out of competition and for a year.


The cumulative effect was a lot of moments when she didn’t want to take the mat for practices or competitions.

But Pedro and his father, known as “Big Jim,” pushed and cajoled and willed Harrison through it all. She arrived in Rio confident she had worked harder than anyone, that she would keep her title.

“I think the first time I cried because I couldn’t believe it,” said Harrison. “I couldn’t believe that I was Olympic champion. The first ever for the United States. This time around, I was a woman on a mission. I knew I wanted to retain my title. I knew it was going to be a long hard road. I am happy. There’s going to be no sad tears from me for a long, long time.”

Harrison’s post-judo goals sound no less ambitious than her competitive ones: Change the world. She wants to help victims of sexual abuse through her Fearless Foundation. Harrison was sexually abused by her first judo coach. Now, she knows two gold medals offer a bigger platform to continue telling her story, providing educational tools and marshalling resources for victims.

And what about the MMA and the money that could come with that? Harrison said several organizations have made offers, but she wants to celebrate before she contemplates another athletic career.


“I know you all want to know if I’m going to do MMA or not,” said Harrison. “But tonight, I’m just going to live in the moment, be Olympic champion. Tomorrow, maybe a month from now, after I’ve been on the beach for a while, I’ll decide what my future holds.”

Judoka Kayla Harrison, who trains in Wakefield, discusses her outlook on the Rio Games. (Video by Emily Zendt) Share Email to a Friend Embed Judoka Kayla Harrison, who trains in Wakefield, discusses her outlook on the Rio Games. (Video by Emily Zendt)

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.