American Myles Porter Wins Paralympic Judo Silver (VIDEO)
United States Paralympic athlete Myles Porter won the silver medal in 220-pound judo at the Paralympics on Saturday. The moment was bittersweet as Porter, who hoped to redeem his fifth at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games with a gold medal, lost to Gwang-Geun Choi of South Korea in the final match. Porter’s teammate, Dartanyon Crockett, took bronze in the 198-pound division, winning his last fight in less than 1 minute with a throw.
Take a look back at Porter’s journey to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London:
Related: Paralympic Legend Chris Waddell — ‘Inspiration Surrounds Us’
Only slight modifications separate the Paralympic event from the original rules of Judo. There are no classifications, with athletes split into weight categories as usual. All visually impaired people can compete. One of the differences from Olympic Judo is that the competitors – judokas, as they are called – can have contact with the opponent before each match. Click the picture below for more on the sport:
Source: UK Telegraph
Related: Judoka Kayla Harrison Becomes First American to Win Judo Gold
The Paralympics event is the premier international sporting event for those born with disabilities, or disabled by injury or illness. In fact, many of this year’s athletes are military men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States’ 227-member 2012 Paralympic team includes 20 military veterans and active-duty service members, almost 10 percent of the total.
Paralympic athletes will compete through September 9, 2012. Unfortunately, the athletics will not be televised in the United States, but there are other ways to watch the competition on YouTube and the International Paralympic Committee website. Click here for more information.
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