Commonwealth Games: Judokas Kimberley and Lousie Renicks win gold medals for Scotland
Last Updated: 24/07/14 8:45pm
Scottish sisters Kimberley and Louise Renicks both clinched judo gold medals on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Renicks, the younger of the two sisters in the Scotland team, scored an ippon throw against India's Sushila Likmabam to win the under-48kg event and in the process secure the host nation's first gold medal of the Games.
"It is absolutely brilliant. It is what I had been hoping for and what I have wanted for the last two years," Kimberley said after winning her gold medal..
"The crowd have been behind all of us and it has been a great start to the Commonwealth Games.
I could not have done it without Team Scotland and Judo Scotland, all of the fans, the family who have supported me all the way.
Kimberley Renicks
"I could not have done it without Team Scotland and Judo Scotland, all of the fans, the family who have supported me all the way. If they had not put the effort in to get me to all of these places, I would not have been here today."
Louise completed the family double with victory over Kelly Edwards in the under-52kg final, with the English fighter disqualified after collecting four penalties.
Both women were cautioned by the referee for various infringements, which now include leaving the yellow combat zone. There were just three seconds left of regulation time when Edwards picked up a fourth shido, for a false attack, handing gold to the Scot.
Medals
Northern Ireland secured a first bronze medal of the Games as Lisa Kearney, who fights out of Edinburgh, beat Canada's Audree Francis-Methot.
There was also judo gold for England as Ashley McKenzie took the victory in the men’s under-60kg with a shido penalty victory over Navjot Chana.
The Indian had gone ahead with a 10-point waza-ari score, only for McKenzie to quickly go on the offensive and the Londoner thought he had won the contest with a hip throw, given as ippon, but then downgraded after a lengthy review.
Eventually the scoreboard was reset, and McKenzie kept his cool to close out victory as Chana racked up three penalty scores.
England added a second gold medal to their judo tally when Colin Oates won gold in the men's under-66kg by defeating Andreas Krassas of Cyprus with a quick throw and armlock combination.
Gold in the women's under-57kg also went to England courtesy of Nekoda Davis, who beat Scotland's Stephanie Inglis.
Davis, based at British Judo's Centre of Excellence in Walsall, scored a Waza-ari throw, which she followed up with a 25-seconds hold-down to clinch the title.