Sydnee Andrews became the first New Zealand woman to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo, after triumphing in the +78kg class in Glasgow, Scotland. The 23-year-old from Gisborne beat Richella Soppi Mbella of Cameroon in the final with an Ippon, a single powerful throw that instantly wins the match.
The victory was extra special because it was the first Commonwealth Games judo title won by a New Zealander since Brent Cooper in Auckland back in 1990. Andrews, who is based in England, had only just proven her fitness after an injury to make the team for Glasgow. Despite this, she won all three of her bouts by Ippon, showing no signs of being troubled by the setback.
The final moment was so dramatic that Andrews was not even sure she had won at first. She explained that she felt something was not right, so she quickly moved to hold her opponent down, unwilling to take any chances. Moments later, the score was confirmed, and Andrews was declared the winner, becoming New Zealand’s tenth gold medallist of the Games.
Earlier in the competition, Andrews defeated opponents from Mauritius and Gabon to reach the final, describing her semi-final match as extremely tough. She had also won bronze at the previous Commonwealth Games in Birmingham four years ago. Andrews thanked her support team afterwards, saying their hard work behind the scenes had helped make the gold medal possible. Fellow New Zealand judo athlete Kody Andrews also had reason to celebrate, winning bronze in the men’s +100kg class.
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