Brazil's Menezes wins gold in women's judo

London: Sarah Menezes of Brazil won the women's 48-kilogram Olympic judo gold medal on Saturday.

The second-ranked Menezes beat defending Olympic champion Alina Dumitru of Romania in a final that had both fighters on the defensive.

Menezes frequently had her hands up like a boxer as both struggled to get a dominant grip, without much success until the last minute of the match. After failing to throw Dumitru off balance with foot sweeps, Menezes finally succeeded in throwing her for the victory.

Menezes finished 19th at the Beijing Olympics.