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Aug 14 - Tuvshinbayar Naidan gives Mongolia its first gold.
He bolsters his judo with elements of traditional Mongolian wrestling.


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Mongolian wrestler-turned-judoka Tuvshinbayar Naidan upset a string of more fancied opponents to win the men's 100kg title on Thursday and give the windswept central Asian nation its first Olympic gold medal.

Twenty-four year-old Naidan, who switched to judo in 2000, used a traditional Mongolian wrestling technique to humble Athens heavyweight champion Keiji Suzuki in their opening bout, and then trounced Kazakhstan's Ashkat Zhitkeyev in the final.

While not lacking in skill or technique, the burly Mongolian's success was largely built on brute strength and determination.

After arrogantly throwing Suzuki off the tatami for ippon and automatic victory, Naidan bullied, barged and bruised his way to the final where a hapless Zhitkeyev was the victim of three scoring throws.

Future 2008 Olympic champ Tuvshee throwing the 2004 Olympic champ Suzuki




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Ulan Bator, Mongolia —
Thousands of Mongolians hit the streets of the capital to celebrate the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal, offering vodka toasts, blaring their car horns and waving the nation's flag from the city's tallest buildings.
Fireworks exploded above Ulan Bator as revelers sang the national anthem after traditional wrestler Tuvshinbayar Naidan's judo win on Thursday. Naidan, whose nickname is "Tuvshee," beat Kazakhstan's Askhat Zhitkeyev in the men's 100-kilogram class.
"We are proud descendants of the great Ghengis Khan, and Tuvshee proved the strength of Mongolians in the Olympics," said Boldoo, a 24-year-old student.

Dart Shark

Congrats to Mongolia! I read about this. Not bad for a country which "technically" only has one proclaimed "city," it's capital.

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The Salad Monster would dominate the Cookie Monster.

ODH

Cool story of one athlete being the pride of the entire country.