Yuri Alvarez blasted in judo- 70Kg
Yuri Alvear. AFP
World champion Lucie Decosse was at her brilliant best as she produced a dominant display of dynamic judo to advance into the women's under-70kg semi-finals on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old is bidding for her first ever Olympic gold medal following three world titles and four European crowns.
Four years ago in Beijing she was favourite in the under-63kg category but was beaten by long-time rival Ayumi Tanimoto of Japan in the final.
Here, though, she looked totally focused, waiting patiently for an opportunity before throwing Canada's Kelita Zupancic for the maximum ippon (a technical knock-out) with a kosoto-gari (minor outer reap) 30-seconds from the end of her bout.
In the quarter-finals she was in a hurry and took just 10-seconds to humiliate 2009 world champion Yuri Alvear of Colombia with an uchi-mata (inner-thigh throw).
She will face Hwang Ye-Sul in Wednesday's semi-final after the South Korean produced the most remarkable upside-down o-goshi (hip throw) on Slovenia's Rasa Sraka.
Hwang lifted Sraka off the ground and as she launched herself into the throw she managed to tip the Slovenian the wrong way up as she drove her into the mat, flat on her back.
In the other half of the draw, China's Chen Fei took a judges' decision victory over Haruka Tachimoto of Japan to reach the last four.
Chen seemed to have won the bout in the regulation five minutes with a koshi-guruma (hip wheel) that appeared worthy of an ippon but, despite being reviewed by the refereeing commission on the video replay, it was incredibly awarded only a minimum yuko.
That resulted in Chen levelling the scores and taking the fight into a sudden death period of golden score but after that couldn't produce a winner, she progressed on the judges' flags.
She will face Germany's Kerstin Thiele who beat 2005 world champion Edith Bosch of the Netherlands in the quarters.
The early rounds of Wednesday's competition were filled with spectacular throws, brilliant judo and numerous shocks, with the contest between Japan's second seed Masashi Nishiyama and Song Dae-Nam of South Korea in the men's under-90kg, especially brilliant.
Song twice caught Nishiyama with a seoi-nage (shoulder throw) but was thrown once himself with osoto-gari (major outer reap), progressing to the semi-finals by virtue of a yuko advantage.
Song will fight Brazil's sixth seed Tiago Camilo next.
Camilo won a silver medal in Sydney 12 years ago when just 18 years of age and fighting two weight divisions lower at under-73kg.
His tai-otoshi (body drop) on twice Olympic medallist Roman Gontyuk of Ukraine was sublime, and almost matched by his osoto-gari on Italy's Roberto Meloni.
He beat fourth seed Dilshod Choriev of Uzbekistan by a penalty in the quarters.
One of the main shocks saw unfancied Australian Mark Anthony stun fourth seed Varlam Liparteliani of Georgia while Britain's Winston Gordon produced an o-guruma (major wheel) to flatten Canada's Alexandre Emond.
World champion and 2004 Athens gold medallist at under-81kg Ilias Iliadis of Greece was upset in the quarter-finals by Russia's Kirill Denisov.
Fourth seed Denisov scored a crucial yuko with uchi-mata and then added a second with tani-otoshi (valley drop) to reach the semis.
He will fight Cuban Asley (CORR) Gonzalez who edged out Liparteliani's conqueror Anthony.
