Ronda Rousey Wins Gold at Birmingham Judo World Cup

Ronda Rousey became the first U.S. woman to win a European A-Level tournament in nearly a decade when she won gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain on Saturday. Rousey went undefeated in five matches to claim her second senior European gold medal, following a win at the B-Level Belgian Open in Arlon in February.

The 19-year-old ousted her first two opponents by ippon (instant win, similar to a knockout in boxing).

In the quarter-finals, Rousey had another meeting with Christina Marzok, the German she defeated in the semi-finals in Belgium. Rousey scored throughout the match with two kokas (smallest points) and a yuko (quarter-point) before ultimately winning by waza-ari (half-point).

Next up for the Athens Olympian was Sara Alvarez (ESP), a three-time World Championship medalist who won her first senior European event when Rousey was just 7-years-old and has claimed nine A-Level titles since then. Rousey defeated Alvarez in two and a half minutes with her third ippon of the day to advance to gold medal match.

In the final, Rousey threw Fanny Riaboff (FRA), a 2005 World Cup Champion at 57kg, for ippon with o uchi gari (major inner reaping, circling leg throw) to become the first U.S. woman to win an A-Level event since three-time Olympian Sandra Bacher won the Budapest Bank Cup in 1997.

Rousey’s win also makes her one of only two U.S. athletes to achieve A-Level status in 2006 and is expected to move up to a top-six World Ranking next week.

Also competing Saturday, Sayaka Matsumoto drew World bronze medalist Alina Dumitru (ROM) in the first round, losing the match by a pair of waza-aris. Dumitru, who would later win the event, pulled Matsumoto through to the repechage where she lost by yuko to Virginie Marie (FRA).