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German Wins Judo Gold

By SALVATORE ZANCA
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, July 25, 1996 4:56 pm EDT

ATLANTA (AP) - German veteran Udo Quellmalz of Germany and French newcomer Marie-Claire Restoux captured gold medals in the extra-lightweight division of Olympic judo Thursday.

Quellmalz took the men's under-143 pound class on a judge's decision over Japan's Yukimasa.

Restoux outscored Hyun Sook-hee of South Korea in the women's under-114 1/2 pound final.

The 29-year-old German has been near the top over the past seven years. He has been in the top three of the last four world championships and gained a bronze in the 1992 Olympics. He won the 1991 and 1995 world titles.

Nakamura's younger brother Kenzo won the lightweight division on Wednesday. Another brother, Yoshio, failed to medal in the light-heavyweight division.

Restoux gained France's third gold medal of the judo competition and sixth overall. She was a surprise winner of the world title last year, when she was a last-minute substitute and won the championship.

She was just third in the European championships but was selected for her first Olympics.

Marisa Pedulla of Pittsburgh lost to two champions during the day.

In the repechage final, Pedulla lost to Almudena Munoz of Spain, the 1992 Olympic winner, and missed out on a chance at the bronze medal.

Earlier in the day, Pedulla bowed to Restoux, but the French world champion's advance to the final allowed the American to continue in the competition.

The American men's entrant, Orlando Fuentes of Miami, Fla., lost in the third round against one of the semifinalists, Philip Laats of Belgium.

Fuentes qualified for the second-chance round, or repechages, but bowed in the first match to Giorgi Revazishvili of the republic of Georgia.

The men's bronze medals went to Israel Hernandez of Cuba and Henrique Guimares of Brazil

Noriko Sagawara of Japan and Legna Verdecia of Cuba took the women's bronzes.

© Copyright 1996 The Associated Press

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