Olympics: Japan goes without judo medal after Takayama, Wolf fall

Rika Takayama was the Japanese judoka who came closest to winning a medal at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, but she fell short in a women's 78-kilogram division bronze bout.After taking a puzzling loss in the quarterfinal, Takayama bounced back with a dominant "o-goshi" large hip throw ippon win in the repechage but then was beaten when bronze medalist Patricia Sampaio hit her with a "seoi-otoshi" shoulder drop at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris."I was nervous," Takayama admitted. "I thought this would be the stage of my dreams. I am frustrated (with the outcome) but it was fun."Takayama adde…READ FULL ARTICLE