Kayla Harrison wins second straight Olympic gold medal in judo

Kayla Harrison became the first U.S. judoka to win a gold medal in the Olympics back in 2012. On Thursday in Rio, she made history again.

Harrison, an American, defeated Audrey Tcheumeo of France via ippon (armbar) to win her second straight gold medal at 78 kg (172 pounds). There was just seven seconds remaining when Harrison locked in the armbar. She was ahead on penalties at the time.

Harrison, 26, also beat her semifinal opponent Anamari Velensek of Slovenia by armbar and won every match in Rio by finish. Harrison’s chief rival Mayra Aguilar of Brazil fell in the semifinals to Tcheumeo and ended up winning the bronze medal. Tcheumeo had to settle for silver. Harrison said after the victory that she is officially retiring from judo competition and will not participate in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

There is a chance Harrison could pursue MMA following this historic victory, much like Ronda Rousey did after winning bronze in judo at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

“I know you all wanna know if I’m gonna do MMA or not, but tonight I’m just gonna live in the moment, be an Olympic champion, and tomorrow I’ll decide what my future holds. Maybe a month for now [laughs],” Harrison said after the match Thursday.

Harrison has hired an agent and is already fielding offers, she told SB Nation’s Guilherme Cruz last week in Rio.

“Several contracts have been sent to my agent,” Harrison said. “He’s looked at it, and he’s said ‘no’ to …

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