BEIJING -- Irakli Tsirekidze won Georgia's
second Olympic gold medal on Wednesday after advancing through
an emotionally charged semifinal against Russia's Ivan Pershin.
Tsirekidze triumphed as world powers tried to implement a
peace deal, agreed to in principle by Georgia and Russia, to halt a
conflict over the South Ossetia region.
The 26-year-old world champion, who pointed at the Georgian
insignia on the back of his judo suit after beating Pershin in
the semifinal, won the title bout in a
dour struggle against Algerian Amar Benikhlef.
"It means a lot for Georgia because as you know there is a
conflict now," Tsirekidze told reporters through a translator.
"We are very happy today to have won two medals as it means
very much for our country," he said.
Manuchar Kvirkelia won the other Olympic gold
for the former Soviet republic on Wednesday in the 74-kilogram
Greco-Roman wrestling.
During the postmatch news conference, a moderator
intervened when a reporter asked Tsirekidze what he had meant
by pointing at the Georgian insignia.
"We can only have sport-related questions here," said the
moderator. He then advised Tsirekidze he did not have to answer
the question, prompting several reporters to protest.
Venue manager Zhang Erchun said politically related
questions were not in accordance with the International Olympic
Committee's charter but that he was unclear whether the
question directed at Tsirekidze had contravened it.
"I'm not exactly sure of the details of the situation but I
will ask further about it," said Zhang.
Benikhlef became Algeria's first man to win a judo medal,
and only its second judo medalist after teammate Soraya
Haddad won bronze in the women's 52-kg class on Saturday.
Benikhlef, 26, congratulated Hesham
Mesbah, who became Egypt's first judo medal winner after beating
France's Yves-Matthieu Dafreville in their bronze-medal bout.
Earlier Wednesday, Masae Ueno won Japan's third judo gold of the Games, defending her 2004 Olympic gold with a match-ending throw less than one minute into her final with Cuba's Anaysi Hernandez in the women's 70-kilogram class.
Winning bronze were Ronda Rousey of the United States, who scored early with a yuko and held on to defeat Germany's Annett Boehm, and Edith Bosch of the Netherlands with an ippon throw over Spain's Leire Iglesias.
Rousey's bronze was the first Olympic medal in women's judo for the U.S. since the event was put on the official schedule in 1992.
Judo awards two bronze medals in each weight class.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.