Her fighting spirit never wavered and her effort was never less than stellar, but judoka Ryoko Tani came up short in Beijing on Saturday in her quest to capture a third straight Olympic gold medal.
Romania's Alina Dumitru defeated the five-time Olympian by "keikoku" in the 48-kg women's semifinals at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium.
Dumitru controlled the five-minute showdown, maintaining her position with strong defense, refusing to budge or give her experienced foe a chance to mount a strong attack.